Probably not. There is software called WINE that can run some Windows software, but the vast majority of the time you're better off choosing a Linux equivalent than trying to make Windows software work.
That’s fine for mass market office apps (though Open Office still lags MS Office in some areas), but a lot of industrial apps only come for Windows (so far). No way I’m staying with the Win ecosystem past W7, so I’m probably going to end up on Linux running a lot of VM’s. (I run a lot of VM’s even under Windows stop the programs don’t step on each other) I may try Mint as a candidate for the host. Would it be pretty lightweight in that role?