It provides binary compatibility, support for graphics, sound interaction, as well as support for modems, networks, scanners, tablets, keyboards, and other devices.

However, Wine should not be confused with a virtual machine or an emulator.

It's not a virtual machine or an emulator For regular Linux users, the above means that the Wine software will allow them to run applications which are designed to be installed only on Microsoft Windows operating systems. Wine stands for 'Wine is not an emulator' and it is an open source command-line software that's capable of translating Windows API calls into POSIX calls on-the-fly for integrating Windows applications into your Linux/UNIX desktop.