First, I don't use Vista. I use XP and/or W2000. So I don't have do this when installing an app. Second, typing a username/password that one commonly recalls, when prompted by a window, is far different than having to type a command fitted for a specific function. "Sudo apt-get install kmail" or whatever, is only one of many, many Sudo commands. For a person familiar with Windows application installations, where all one has to do is run the EXE file and answer questions, the Sudo requirement is significantly backwards, IMO.
Well, the difference is that you had to go get that exe file, so it’s a bit different. The apt-get command goes out and downloads the package, installs and configures it. Apples and oranges.
There is also Synaptic, which does all this in a GUI interface. I thought that’s how Ubuntu users generally install stuff.
I prefer the command line myself; it’s easier.
So in other words: You run your XP and W2K systems as Administrator or a user a user with Administrator rights. Either way, that is not considered "best practice" from a security point of view. Any malicious code that you could encounter on-line will have full access to your system.
I can't tell you the number of times I've had to wipe a friends system because they had all sorts of trojans, spyware, virus' et al on their systems because they ran it as Admin.
Information protection begins with you. If it is too inconvenient for you to have to switch over to Admin to install software or configure your system, and don't care about the info it contains getting into the wrong hands, then have it.
If you don't care; I certainly don't.
For those of you who do care, follow "best practices" and run your computer with a restricted account. The inconvenience of doing so, can/will far outweigh any headaches you get from having a compromised system.