The software that came with your camera is the place to begin. There is usually a RAW program in there somewhere. Both Photoshop CS3 and Paint Shop Pro do RAW as well, but not always the particular version of RAW that you may have with a new camera. Raw Shooter Essentials is a 3rd party program that a lot of pros use too.

I should indicate that originally cameras were producing poor jpegs and RAW was the only answer for picky photographers with a really good eye. Now many cameras are outputting quality jpegs that are hard to improve on, even going through RAW editing and conversions. JPEG editing software has also considerably improved.

So, I would venture to say that unless you have a very good eye that comes with lots of experience and shots that can only be visibly improved through RAW editing, to stick to jpeg.

Tegan