bibtex or endnote

So I'm trying to decide whether to make the leap into using bibtex. It sounds like a massive programme though - not sure I want to install it! I thought it was just a means of formatting using ascii text editor like notepad... doh! Seems like it's particularly important for sciency subjects. Since I hardly ever use an equation it may be a bit of a waste to learn it. But what do people do who cant afford Endnote... www.connotea.com? I'm just going to have to try it and see...