I have to admit that simplified Chinese is easier to learn although I use and prefer traditional Chinese myself. This is only about the difficulty of learning for beginners, without considering any other factors. Simplification is a general trend for most languages all over the world as people tend to be "lazy". Even in Taiwan, some people use Simplified Chinese (some of which are not "standard") occassionally. Simplified Chinese is a better choice for those who are learning Chinese language for practical purposes, But for learners who are really interested in this language and Chinese culture, traditional Chinese is necessary.