Hi Henri
I'm pretty new to all of this too. I opted for a schmidt-cassegrain first-up, and my 12" Meade LX200GPS has been phenomenal - and it'll let me grow into it for years to come. It's a little heavy to lug around - but I do - constantly. I'm not sure who would tell you "emphatically" not to get one..... I presume that they're attempting to "protect" you from having to collimate the scope periodically. Well - get yourself some Bobs Knobs (about $35) to replace the allen screws on the secondary and it's easy. I'd go another Meade or Celestron SCT any day - and am actively looking for an 8" at the right price to act as my field scope - at which stage I'll install the 12" permanently. Once the collimation is spot-on, it's able to see pretty-well anything you throw at it. Deep-sky to planets to the moon - it's all clear as a bell with a good eyepiece. Big SCT optics are fantastic.
Whichever way you go - have fun! I suppose that almost everyone will show their human nature and try to make you lean towards what they have - if for no other reason than to backup their own belief in their own purchasing decision.