Check out my website on the Venue for some in-depth information from a user point of view.....
http://www.theaudioprofessional.com/VENUE.html
To answer your question directly, the systems are the exact same console---just a different control surface. I can't honestly say that one is easier over the other because the fact is, they are both incredibly simple to operate! The PROFILE is the most popular not only because of the price, but the smaller space. It takes up far less space than the DSHOW but really does the same thing---but for touring guys, oh that's even more of a reason to go Profile. Of course, there are reasons to get the DSHOW such as the ability to expand up to 56-faders, having (2) rows of encoders to control PAN and PREAMP GAIN simultaneously, having a Compressor Bypass switch in real-time, a larger space for those that really do want a bigger layout, etc. But at the end of the day, it's the same thing.