newbie questions about compatibility of digital photo software

I just purchased my first digital camera (Canon A85) and, while I am
anticipating much pleasure taking pictures of my 2 grandsons, I am
concerened about one issue. I plan to begin with Adobe Photoshop SE as
my digital photo software, but it's possible I may decide at a later
time to switch to a different software package. Is the information
stored when transferring images from the camera to the computer
(date/time picture was taken, etc) transferable betwen most of these
software programs? Once I have deleted the images from the camera's
memory, the only place that information will exist is within the
digital software program.

Any and all comments/suggestions/information would be greatly
appreciated.

P.S. Any recommendations as to what I should read to expand my
knowledge of digital photography? Should I start with something like
"Digital Photography for Dummies" or is there a better book out there
for a newbie like me? I DO know quite a bit about computers, if that's
relevant.