Using the terminal prevents the easy install of virusses so rampant on Windows. By the way, it is not difficult at all, just different. You simply copy the lines in the terminal by selecting them on internet page and pasting them by clicking the scroll button. Like here: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/03/gthumb-finally-gets-flickr-support.html

They require your password the first time. To all questions you simply reply with hitting the Enter-key. It is much easier and safer than going through the setup-programs in Windows, in which easily add-ware is installed if you are not a pro-user and not attentive.

Normal users should preferably use the software centre, that way they stay safe. Linux-distro's like Ubuntu are easier than Windows nowadays. But a new system will always seem more difficult at first than the one you already know.

But that does not deter people if they get the chance to use it. Selling PC with Ubuntu is the only way to get it to the people.

I used a number of distro's like Mint, but I always come back to Ubuntu. Why? Because it is the only system that simply works after an install, like we have become used to with Windows. And if there are slight issues, next version often solves them.

Ubuntu took a bold move to start a whole new interface. I did not like it at first, it was unfinished, so I moved away. But 12.04 was rock solid, and 12.10 too. Neither is it the system hog people say. I installed it on my subnotebook (AMD Brazo) and it runs just fine. But Ubuntu is not meant to run you 10 year old laptop. Canonical wants to be on the new laptops, not the old ones. Linux is not conquering the desktop by recycling old hardware. In fact those old machines give the most problems and are lousy promotion.

But on new machines, Ubuntu rocks. I am only into Ubuntu for three years, but I have seen huge progress in the short period. Three years ago internet pages and other texts looked like **** with fuzzy fonts that made your eyes tear. Youtube was so slow you want to flee Linux the same day. The dialog screens had so many styles it look like a garbage collection. Step by step Canonical solved issue after issue and now I feel more at home in Ubuntu than in Windows7.

Difficult, yes because it is new. It helps to read a starters guide:
http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/index_main.html
http://ubuntu-manual.org/?lang=en_US
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/free-ubuntu-e-books