If you're not already comfortable with the command line, Ubuntu's package manager GUI is a hell of a lot more intuitive than apt-get. After that, a simple text editor is easier to work with than nano, emacs, vim, etc. for changing config files.
That said, I wouldn't use a GUI for such things, but I would still prefer my own box. The big power button is a lot easier than EC2s endless menus and options. I say this from the perspective of someone who's used EC2 for a couple of project - imagine someone who's never seen it before.
That said, I wouldn't use a GUI for such things, but I would still prefer my own box. The big power button is a lot easier than EC2s endless menus and options. I say this from the perspective of someone who's used EC2 for a couple of project - imagine someone who's never seen it before.