DSC 5501 -> 5500 upgrade?

[t_reisig@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I'm a new DUY'er and I just finished installing a small home security
setup for my Home office.  It's a DSC Power 832 with just one door and
one motion sensor.  Installation went fine and with a little
programming help from my retailer the system works great (Thanks Home
Security Store!).  I'm now considering expanding my system with another
partition for the rest of the house.  Here's my questions:

How much easier is programming with the 5500 keypad (as apposed to the
5501)?

Is the software interface a better way to go to simplify programming?
I noticed that my retailer doesn't offer tech support for the software,
so is the transition from a working keypad system, to software
complicated?

Thanks,

Tim