So as a total noob to biking this can be taken with a huge grain of salt. I say, like most things it boils down to personal preference. My wife and I are just getting into biking, mostly for fitness and fun, I doubt either of us will commute or join any teams or such. I bought her a Fuji Absolute 3.0, she wanted a light bike, no suspension as 99.9% of our riding will be on pavement. For myself, I also went with a hybrid, just got it today so the verdict is still out, but it does have a front fork with suspension, I had the pre load as stiff as possible (no lock out) and took it for a short ride and I had no issues, even though I am a bit overweight, not alot of bobing, even when I stood up and pumped to go up a hill. The ride seemed very smooth so I guess for me it does not make a big difference, maybe it will when I drop 40 lbs or so and start to think I can go fast. But I do like the fact that if I hit any pot holes or big cracks I have a little relief, again as a noob this may help where as an experienced rider will probably have better reflexes and can avoid these issues all together.
JImbo