1. Honestly I think the best way for you to learn it if you do not have any past experience with a Linux/Unix operating system you should just download Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 its free here:
   http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual…

   Download an ISO of the RedHat distribution Fedora from here:
   ftp://ftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/l…
   - It's almost a 4 gig download but if you want the full experience of it download it.

   If you don't I would suggest to use Knoppix which is a LiveCD. You can boot up with it or you can run it through virtual pc it's up to you. I would just run it with virtual pc because you may have other things to while you are learning it.
   http://www.knoppix.com/

   Hope this helped.

2. Just do it! Install it and learn it.
3. Read documentation, join linux forums, and most importantly, just play with it. Honestly, not being afraid to break it and just being curious is the best way to learn.
4. Knoppix. It is a program that will allow you to run linux of a boot cd. No matter what you do on it, when you finish your session everything reverts back. It's a great program for someone who wants to get some practice using linux.

Tags: linux kernel, debian linux