I think you have gotten a lot of good answers so my 2 cents are. Install something simple like Ubuntu and try it out. Getting the answers to your questions will not give you the "feel" of using a linux system. Once you start you will begin to have more answers and a lot more questions, specifically in the areas you are interested in.
Also check the Arch wiki, it is really good for any distro because it gives a good reference for configurations.
But what's the alternative?