I agree with Tanchelyn on all counts...

About two years ago, I started doing HDR work manually like Tanchelyn indicates, using RAW-channel-mask-curves....although it is time consuming, you have complete flexibility and the results are more satisfying.

My last three landscapes were done using tone mapping....that said, I did not end up using the tone mapped image as a final result....it was a component only!  
The HDR programs do not give decent results in many cases (image dependant), they tend to produce significant ghosting around the light/dark interfaces....and I have found they tend to accentuate the blue channel.

To see the what it does in the way of ghosting....try tone mapping an image with some powerlines/wires in the sky!

In the future, I will likely go back to the manual method...and perhaps use a tone mapped image as a layer, similar to my recent landscapes.

@Val
Here are some other HDR links for you;

http://www.powerretouche.com/Dynamic_Range_introduction.htm

http://fdrtools.com/front_e.php

http://www.idruna.com/photogenicshdr.html

http://www.easyhdr.com/
http://www.hdrsoft.com/ 

In youth, we learn....with age, we understand.