I can mount and adjust either a set of v-brakes or a set of avid BB-7's in about the same time. Neither is particularly hard and both require some care and knowledge to get the best performance out of them. I've seen poorly adjusted discs and cantis.
Rim life will be better on a disc rim for sure, but what is better and does it matter? For a rainy/winter commuter or a tour through mud or really wet dirt roads I'd lean towards discs as they don't wear out your rims as fast. For just about anything else rim wear has never been a factor. This obviously depends a lot on the rider and situation - I've never been hard on brakes or rims - I can't explain why other people burn through pads/rims so fast???
I've gone through Avid BB-7 pads faster than I have kool stop v-brake pads. Not really a huge deal as both kinds of pads are small and light enough that carrying spares is a non-issue. I've not worn through a rotor yet.
I posted the tandem link as an example of the issues discs face during hard use. There was a German mtb bike magazine article that compared how much heat various braking systems could take before failure. The disc systems failed at around the same heat that rim brakes blew out tubes - unfortunately my link to that article no longer works. The problem with over heating IMO isn't the type of brake, but how it is used. I don't think a normal fully loaded touring bike should have brake overheating issues in the mountains with either rim brakes or disc brakes if used correctly, but I wanted to emphasize you can over heat and essentially destroy your rotor on a disc brake just like you can overheat a rim on a rim brake and blow out a tube.
All my discs are mechanical cable actuated. I don't trust hydraulics for a travel bike and for a bike I use in town I'd just as soon stick with cables as they are easy to work with. You might convince me to use a hydraulic disc for winter commuting. I have an original Avid disc brake - essentially a BB-7 which is 7 years old and going strong. I also have a new set of BB-7s and they both functional identically.
V brakes are a slightly different kettle of fish, and I deliberately didn't lump them in with cantilever brakes. Are you? I still hold that adjusting cantis can be a chore. V-brakes less so.
The point I was making about rim life is a reality for a lot of people. Everyone has different riding styles, so people who work their brakes hard will wear out their rims faster. Likewise those who ride in wet and gritty conditons. Is it better to run the risk of a cracked rim in the middle of nowhere and be immobilised? Or to have a rotor warp (the most likely scenario) and remove it and keep riding on the rear brake?