The new 60D is an interesting shift in the naming conventions for Canon's lineup. It does make sense as there really was not enough room between the 50D and the 7D for a meaningful upgrade to the 50D.... namely because it's now apparent the 7D WAS the upgrade to the 50D, it just wasn't called...
I wouldn't put off switching to RAW very long. Certainly when you're first playing around with the camera, JPEG is just fine. But by the time you take it on your first outing where you'll care about the results, use RAW. I didn't switch to RAW until I got my 50D. I always shot JPEG only on...
Like Carlo, I preferred the lens lineup of Canon over Nikon which ultimately was the deciding factor for me going with Canon. Ron, Keep in mind that if you really enjoy photography you will more than likely be upgrading your camera body down the line. And like Carlo mentioned, maybe...
I'll second what Carlo said regarding an entry level DSLR being a gateway drug. I started out with a Canon 350D and the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS. It wasn't long before I picked up the EF 85mm f/1.8. But what really pulled me in was buying my first "L" lens; the EF 70-200mm f/4 L.fa f f...