Check out troublefreepools.com. I was a disciple when I had my pool. They stress using liquid chlorine or do a salt pool with a saltwater chlorine generator. I had a salt pool and I loved it. But don't do salt if you have soft stone around your pool. It will erode it.
The problem with using chlorine pucks or sticks is that they have cyanuric (sp?) acid. As CYA is added to the pool it requires more and more chlorine as the CYA increases. Eventually, if you don't dilute it by draining water and adding fresh water, you will likely get an algae outbreak and it will be a pain in the ass to get rid of. The forums at troublefreepools explain this in depth. There are some chemistry geeks on that site who seem to know what they are talking about.
Another factor is whether you have a sand or cartridge filter. If you have a sand filter you might get away with using chlorine pucks or sticks because you are backwashing and adding fresh water often enough to keep the CYA within manageable levels. But if you have a cartridge filter, and especially if you don't get much rain, the CYA level will continue to increase and it will become problematic.
I had a cartridge filter that I cleaned twice a year and a salt water chlorine generator. I also had a Polaris 280 vacuum--it requires a dedicated pump. The Polaris kept my pool extremely clean. The Polaris along with the salt water chlorine generator allowed me to forego a pool guy altogether. The one downside to the saltwater pool (other than the problem with soft stone work around the pool) is that you have to add a little muriatic acid every couple of weeks because the chlorine generation process causes the pH to rise over time. It's nasty stuff, but it's cheap. All in though, after the initial $800-$1000 or so investment in the salt water generator and salt, I spent about $10 per month on my pool for acid, extra salt, and CYA, and it took very little time actually dealing with the pool, like brushing the plaster and checking the skimmers. And no matter what you do, add borates to your pool--unless your kids/pets like to drink a lot of pool water. I really miss my pool.