I've been developing BlackBerry apps for years - almost as long as the devices have been around - and I'm actually currently using a Macbook pro with VMWare, which works well - if you have the RAM (3 gigs is good) and CPU horsepower.
The BlackBerry developer zone (http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/) is definitely the first place you should go - you'll need to download the BlackBerry JDE (Java development environment - their standalone IDE) or the JDE Plugin for Eclipse. They come with API Javadocs and the standalone JDE comes with sample apps. There are also support forums, a knowledgebase, etc. In both cases the simulator is a Windows app - hence the necessity of using Windows for development.
I write a blog about BlackBerry development called Thinking Blackberry. It's very new, and so far I've mostly been exploring specific slightly more advanced topics, but I have a getting started tutorial for the JDE Plugin for Eclipse that's had some good feedback (I'm a proponent of going the Eclipse route for BB development). It also provides an overview of the options for BlackBerry development, with pluses and minuses for each.
