I've got a Gunnar Ruffian, fully rigid, which I built up last year from a mix of new and used parts (I bought the frame used). I ended up riding it almost exclusively for a few months last summer since my geared hardtail was out of commission.

I love riding it. Not more, not less than my geared hardtail. It's just a nice change of pace.

As for whether or not to go fully rigid, I agree with Curt Kurt that you may want to try both to see what you like. If it's your only mtb, I'd go with a suspension fork. I only chose a rigid fork for the change of pace I mentioned before.

I don't think I would have done anything differently, but I built the thing from scratch and put some thought into each part I bought. Fortunately I was lucky enough to come across some nice deals on lightly used parts and price-shopped e-bay for the rest.