Modules, Install v 5 or 6, beginner skins, mysql v posgresql

Hi folks --

I am planning an online publication, and am quite new to php. I had started off setting up the site using b2evolution but even this early in the test/learn/plan/prep phase I have already outgrown it. I needed a more complex taxonomy and, well, when it comes to taxonomy it seems that Drupal rocks.

QUESTION 1: DO I NEED MODULES FOR A SIMPLE BLOG?

While I wish, further down the road, to have a sophisticated site with "Sections" like a newspaper, a sort of recursive taxonomy, multiple authors, at first I just wish to bang out some blog entries. Does Drupal do this just by installing the core or do i need to install modules as well? I am not trying to be lazy by asking -- i've already spent hours just reading docs on this site and have found descriptions of what various modules do, but I still don't understand what "plain vanilla" core Drupal does out-of-the-box (as it were).

So, can I just install Drupal out of the box and start blogging? Also, would I be complicating my life by planning to add other modules later on, i.e., is it necessary or preferable to install them at the same time as Drupal?

QUESTION 2: install 5 or 6?

Because I am new to Drupal, I do not want to get my install done and tweaked just-so, and learn how best to use Drupal, only to have to learn how to upgrade and possibly relearn how to use (in the case of behavior changes) or figure out "where to find" (in the case of UI changes) some features ... only weeks or months after my first install.

Therefore, I see that v6 is in RC stages, and my instinct is to install 6 from the get-go while paying attention to posted issues so I don't go nuts thinking I'm doing something wrong when in fact i've encountered a bug that others have documented. Even if 6 takes a few more weeks, or even a few months, to be Ready For Prime Time, that is fine given my timeframe for launch.

I'm inviting you all to critique my thinking (which, after all, is based on pure ignorance of Drupal!)

QUESTION 3: BEGINNER SKINS?

Somewhere on all the web pages I've been reading for the past couple of days, it was stated or implied that certain skins are better choices for beginners. I also understand that some skins are Not 6-Ready.

I paged through all the skins and these are the ones I like:

Light
Nista
Vertigo
Zen Classic

Can anyone say whether any or all of these are appropriate choices for a beginner? If not, is there a page somewhere that lists recommended skins for beginners? (Even as a beginner, I have a long tech background and am not afraid to learn a bit about Drupal mods, btw.)

Also, do these skins which are listed as working with 5 also work with 6? is there a list of that somewhere or do I need to follow the discussions of all 4 skin projects to determine this?

QUESTION 4: POSTGRES COMPATIBILITY OF MODULES

[Just for future reference since my web server already serves phpBB via mySQL and I do not have time to switch phpBB to a different back end]

One thing I love about phpBB is its database abstraction layer that works with so many choices of back ends. This has enabled me to install it on many of my clients' intranet servers, regardless of whatever RDBMS their IT departments use.

I notice that Drupal has db abstraction and the alternate is PostgreSQL which I much prefer to MySQL. Sounds good, except that a friend of mine has told me that "modules don't work with postgres".

Is that true? Or, if it is only true of *some* modules, is there a list somewhere of those modules that do work with postgres?

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kazar