Pros / Cons of LM35 and Thermistor, what alternatives?
or an absolute sensor like the LM35 (or LM335) you need a microcontroller with an A/D converter, and a voltage reference that is accurate enough (USB power, or an 7805 regulator will in most cases NOT be accurate enough). 

A resistor can be used as ratiometric sensor, which means that you don't need an absolute voltage reference, but as you indicate, the conversion from what you measure to temperature is far from linear.

Unless there are strong reasons not to do so, I would suggest a temperature sensor with a digital interface. That still leaves lots to choose from, like the 1-wire DS18xx you hint at, the I2C LM75 or TCN75, or the SPI TC74, to name just a few.