Well, I would recommend two things. First, I would recommend you read up on the basics of Linux or watch a video or two that show you the basics. Here is a good introductory video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gCwCOhMcog[
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and here is a fairly good training resource:
http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/[
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Second, I would recommend you get a version of Linux and start using it. Load it onto a Virtual Machine or get a Boot Disk that will allow you to use Linux without compromising your primary machine. If you have an extra computer that you could test Linux on, that would be fine as well.
Here is the link to Ubuntu, which is a fairly easy version of Linux to use and learn:
http://www.ubuntu.com/[
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and here are the instructions on how to use it without installing it:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/help/try-ubuntu-before-you-install[
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