I'm interested in dabbling with mining. I see that there are at least 2 pieces of software that are used when participating in the Bitcoin network:

• InstaWallet
• BitcoinD (the daemon)

I guess I'm looking for an intro to all the different software I'll need to even get my foot in the door, as well as any other "must haves" for a miner's software stack (for users or developers alike). Thanks in advance!