The when to salt and why or why not question has surfaced before on foodpickle. Through the "search questions" box you can get a lot more input on cooking dried beans.

If you soak them overnight, you will reduce their cooking time GREATLY the next day. Cover with water, simmer, add a little olive oil and whole garlic cloves, a fresh leaf of bay, and then you have a seasoned and flavored bean to do anything with later - hummus, stew, soup. Just be sure to never salt your beans until they are about 30 minutes from being done. Salt toughens the skins.

I'm with Panfusine - pressure cooker! Follow Lorna Sass' directions.

I'd go with Chef Michael Kiss's method, Alternatively If you own a pressure cooker, use it to reduce the cooking time significantly.

I love to soak them overnight and cover them with plenty of water. 3 inches or more. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes then cover and reduce to a simmer for 1 to 2 hours until desired tenderness is reached. I leave them a bit firmer for toasted chickpea dishes and softer for cold dishes and hummus.