While some Linux purists believe that emulation and virtualization software is “Bad for Linux” I believe this to be false. Both these products perform equally well depending on your specific needs, and should that one piece of Windows software be stopping you from moving to a Linux based system, I recommend you give each a chance. As a general rule of thumb I try to encourage people to use the Linux equivelant of the Windows software in question, however, this is not always an option. In that case I see no problem at all with making use of the tools available to you. Linux is all about choice and this is just one more example of the options available on your Linux system.
Fact: There is a huge amount of software designed to run on Microsoft Windows.
Fact: Not all Windows software has a Linux equivalent or has yet to be ported to Linux.
Fact: Linux users still need to access Windows software for some very valid reasons.
Fact: Having emulation and virtualization software available to users will not stop software companies from porting their software to Linux.
Fact: Not having the option of emulation and virtualization WILL stop many users from making the switch to Linux. These users do not want to lose access to their favorite Windows program.
Fact: Linux having a low market share WILL stop software companies from porting their software to Linux.
So, in the end emulation and virtualization software is good for everyone. It allows Windows users to make the switch to Linux without the worry of losing access to their favorite Windows software and greatly eases their transition from Windows to Linux. In time this will result in a larger market share for Linux forcing software companies to take a closer look at whether they should port their software to Linux.