>Thus, to securely use Bitcoin you really need a third party either a 'bank' or a vary secure device.
Things like the BitcoinArmory client [1] + upcoming multi-sig transactions should make it secure enough relative to traditional currencies. Use a a *nix instead of Windows (much easier for the mainstream these days with OS X/iOS/Android) + secure wallet.dat backup like SpiderOak or Tarsnap and you're in good shape security-wise.
I almost mentioned it, Ubuntu has been my primary OS since 2007 and I continually re-evaluate options - Fedora, Cent, SUSE, Mint, and Arch mainly - but Ubuntu always comes out on top. I just have no experience converting people over to Ubuntu from Windows, so not personally sure how well that works.
Things like the BitcoinArmory client [1] + upcoming multi-sig transactions should make it secure enough relative to traditional currencies. Use a a *nix instead of Windows (much easier for the mainstream these days with OS X/iOS/Android) + secure wallet.dat backup like SpiderOak or Tarsnap and you're in good shape security-wise.
1. http://bitcoinarmory.com/