I'm probably an oddball compared to most, but I use a VM as my main work environment. My main reason is because it's super easy to create a backup and test anything like OS or major software updates there first to make sure it doesn't hose anything. Or if I just want to tinker and try new things without risking breaking anything. Also, where I work they get us new hardware every 3 years, and it means I don't have to spend a long time trying to set my environment up on a new computer. I just copy over the VM and jump right in.