looking for a camera

I am thinking of buying a nice digital camera after Christmas. I enjoy the film cameras I have, but they are limited and the film and developing is expensive. Do you know anything about software that comes with cameras? Which ones are easiest and best? I think I know enough about the hardware to make a semi-intelligent choice, but software is like Greek to me. I haven’t had any good luck with an Olympus camera at work. The factory rep had to fax instructions because the ones that came with the camera were wrong. I gave up on that one, but it is now a couple years old. I am torn between a very small camera for easy use and a very big camera for versatility. I’ll probably start with a very small one, since they are generally cheaper. If I like that, I’ll go for a bigger SLR next year.