FWIW, there’s nothing in the world stopping you from soloing Eve. There’s a lot you can do on your own, and even more you can do once you’ve built up some basics. Sure, it goes faster if you can ask some questions, but even though there’s not a “manual” (per se) there’s Google.
I have a slightly different take on Eve than Solai – though his take makes every bit as much sense, I think. I agree completely with his assesment of Eve as incredibly complicated, multi-layered, and insanely sophisticated. it takes some effort to even learn to move your ship around, and that’s not the tough part. But I disagree that it’s soul-sucking. Here’s why:
There are about a million ways you can do something in Eve. You can take PvE-ish missions from agents and go shoot things. You can go shoot 'rats. You can salvage wrecks. You can mine. You can manufacture. You can invent. You can research. Hell, the list just goes on and on and on.
The upshot of this is that you can switch around among these potions depending on what time you have available and when. For example, I’ll often hook up with a small group of friends to go shoot NPC belt 'rats or join other friends for a L3 mission – either as a fellow mission runner or just a salvager. These are (as far as I can tell) similar to the “raid” concept discussed in other MMOs. We play together, often on Vent as well, having a good time.
But maybe I don’t have time for that one week. I can still jump on from time to time and swap out a skill in training, or start a manufacturing job, or set up trades to sell mined minerals. Or I can research something via Google that catches my interest, like T2 invention. You get the idea: I can switch around to whatever task fits my current available time and sociability.
That’s the gist. With Eve you’re not locked into the “raid every Wed or you’re out” situation. You can continue to play and grow no matter what kind of time you have to invest. And you can keep in touch with your Eve friends regardless, still having a good 'ole time figuring out how to, say, manufacture those T2 guns you love so much for cheap. 
Totally agree, re: social. While it’s normal in Eve to spend soem time taking care of your own character’s growth requirements, everything’s more fun in groups. Meeting people in-game is probably half the fun.
re: PvP, I definitely don’t think you need PvP for MMOs to be fun. But Eve’s all-PvP world is different – in a good way, I think. A lot of the Eve negativity you’ll find online comes from the fact that there’s no real “safe” zone where PvP is impossible. OTOH, if you’re new to Eve, don’t assume that this means you’ll get your ass shot off the first time you undock!
Eve applies a “security rating” to every system, ranging from 0.0 (least secure) to 1.0 (most secure). In “high-security” systems (those rated 0.5 and higher) you’re offered some protection by Concord (think space police) and gate/station guns. If you agress another character (or good NPC) in these areas, these NPC forces (Concord/gate guns/station guns) will attack you to great effect. In short, they’ll blow you away. Quickly. So in these areas you’ll see very little non-consentual PvP.
On the other hand, it’s not unthinkable that a player might, say, decide that whatever’s in a high-sec hauler might be worth losing a ship for – hence the “high-sec suicide gank.” Bringing a ship that’ll do a lot of DPS (damage per second, for non-MMO players), they’ll seek to blow away the hauler before they get blown away by Concord. Then a friend picks up the stuff from the hauler’s wreck and they meet up elsewhere.
But if you’re roaming around in your little n00bship or cheap T1 frigate/destroyer/whatever, you’re not really worth it. Just remember: there’s safety in being not worth it.
In low-sec (0.1-0.4) you’ll find lots of piracy: other players that’ll descend on you guns a-blazin’ then either blow you away for your loot or attempt to ransom your ship (and/or pod). While gate/station guns will still attempt to protect you in low-sec, Concord does not. Believe it or not, this isn’t really as bad as it sounds. When I first started in Eve, I was scared to death to venture outside 0.8 or higher space. Now I regularly traverse low-sec and have a good time there. Just follow the first rule of Eve: don’t undock anything you can’t afford to lose.
The funny part is that I’ve probably met more friendly people in low-sec then high-sec. By friendly, of course, I mean in convo – not in-system. I’ve made friends with pirates that’ve blown me away. They’ll do it again, too, if they get the chance. But we still keep in touch.
Anyway, the bottom line re: Eve’s all-PvP universe is this: while there’s no truly “safe” place in Eve, safety abounds. You just have to create it yourself by thinking about what you’re doing and how it’ll impact others in the game. Want to fly across a good chunk of Empire (even low-sec) “safely?” Hop in a shuttle and make sure you don’t have any implants. Want to mine for years without a single incident? Use cheap mining ships and don’t jet-can mine. You get the idea.
Thank you! I love hearing that GWC inspires someone to check out new things. That’s what I love about GWC – the way everyoe here turns me on to so much new and great material. And if you do jump in, be sure to say “Hi.”
Hope you’re having fun. If anyone trying Eve for the first time gets confused or lost – if it hasn’t happened to you yet, just wait – drop all the GWCers in Eve a line in the Eve thread and we’ll all pitch in to try and figure out your issue. Just remember to help us figure out our next one!