Did you try "netcardconfig" as root after your install? When I installed Knoppix Debian-style, my network was not working on the first boot up, but after running "netcardconfig" it was up and automatically came up in subsequent re-boots.

I recently installed Debian as well. The new beta3 installer actually is pretty good. You may have to fiddle with it a little more and it still has some bugs.:

http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

But if you want to learn....I recommend the 100 MB iso

The nice thing about Debian is that you start with a very minimal install and install only the things you want from the network (it is best that you have a fast internet connection). Knoppix is great though, you end up with a system that is useable right away and it has lots of little tools (like netcardconfig) that are useful. Good luck!