G'day Srich, nice to meet you and welcome to the forums...
I too was/am in a similar situation to you... so many questions, so many answers... and then you get an answer that conflicts with another one that you have heard so it leaves you wondering...
So i started up my hive just over a week and a half ago... based on what i have experienced so far i would recommend the following:
1) Buy an already operating hive from an experienced beek in your area - when you do this specify that you're a newbie and you're looking for a quiet, docile and easy to manage hive - most beeks are more than happy to answer questions and doing this in person is so helpful!
2) Buy minimum of a veil, jacket, gloves, smoker, hive tool. The only reason i say buy a jacket too is because it gives you an additional degree of security which calms your nerves - bees can tell if you're nervous. If you want the ultimate spend the money and buy a full suit
3) Take it one step at a time... get a good book, research how to manage a hive and most importantly learn as you go. But do this while you're interacting with your hive... you can learn so much just by sitting there and watching the hive
I have been doing a heap of research, looking at pictures, asking questions... but i must say i learnt more than i have through all of the theoretical research just by opening the hive, looking at the eggs, pupa, capped brood, honey stores and pollen stores and interacting with the bees. I was fortunate enough to buy an established incredibly docile hive so they're very forgiving. You will make mistakes along the way and that's where we're here to hold your hand and guide you through it. By starting with an excellent foundation you will have an excellent start and hive moving forward.
All the best
P.S: If you're looking for a partciular strain of bee try a carniolan - that's what i have and i love it (mine is actually carniolan X italian). But each beek will probably find different strains that work for them - some have probaly had a carniolan that is the most aggressive thing ever - if that's the case it smetimes comes down to genetics - get a new queen and replace your aggressive one