I just switched to AG after 10+yrs as an extract and PM brewer. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gone AG to start.
Having crossed over, I think the AG fear factor is purely psychological. It seems harder because generally "newbs" start on extract and "experts" brew AG. And because it uses more hardware. Therefore, AG *must* be very difficult and complex. In reality, those perceptions are not true at all. The difference between my AG setup and my extract setup is an MLT made from a cooler and a good thermometer.
As for pouring vs. draining, I disagree with you there. Pouring 5g of hot wort is dangerous. I found this out on Ag #1 when I slopped about a quart of hot wort into my shoes. Thankfully it was from the MLT and I brew by my pool so no real damage was done. Unfortunately, this was a lesson re-learned. At the pressure washing company I used to own, our hard rule was that any dangerous liquid (hot, corrosive, etc) that's not in a one handed container (i.e. gallon jug) gets pumped and not poured.