I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Linux has come a long way, but there are inevitably one or two Windows only programs that you just can't replace with open source equivalents. For me it was the CHM compiler, and FlashDevelop. Sometimes it's not even a case of being able to find an open source replacement if you are trying to document or grab screen shots of a Windows application. Wine may offer some relief, but virtualization is the most reliable solution. However, both have traditionally involved a lot of configuration. But now there is a solution that goes by the name JPC-2. It is a pure Java virtual machine that can run unmodified versions of Windows XP and older copies of Ubuntu.