Conventional vs. Baitcasting

Hello all...I am a newbie to the whole fishing scene, and I was
wondering what the big differences are between conventional reels, and
the bigger, beefier looking baitcasting reels? I've been told that
conventional reels really aren't that great to cast with (supposedly
it takes some fancy thumb work to prevent recoil tangles), but
baitcasting reels on the other hand have the word casting attached to
their name...what's the difference? Do they have mechanisms that
facilitate casting in any way? (not to mention that with most
manufacturers, baitcasting reels are a LOT more expensive compared to
their conventional models.)


Thanks a lot!