No, it's a desktop computer. I find Ubuntu to be easier to set up than Windows.

Or, at least, much quicker. An install might take about 10 minutes, opposed to the several hour Windows install. Ubuntu is a relatively user friendly OS, at least compared to other Linux distros.

Unless the laptop is complete crap, go with the x64 desktop edition. But even if it's not as good, still go with the x86 desktop edition. The netbook edition is really only for computers with really small resolutions, so they simplify the interface so it doesn't become to obstructive.
With the software center, you can just pick applications and they install by themselves. But if you want, say, Opera, a closed source application, it will take some commands in the terminal (command prompt) to install it. The most Windows-based Linux distro is Mint. So basically, unless you want to customize the interface and install things not in the software center, it's incredibly easy.