Ben,
Do a Google Image search for "KDE" or for
"GNome linux" for a lot of
screen shots of a Linux desktop.
Linux is comprised of several different pieces, which makes
understanding it a challenge for people. The advantage of
this, though,
is that the user has a choice of what he wants. For
instance, the user
has a choice on how Linux will look. Even how the system
itself is
managed is a choice (you choose with linux distribution you
want).
Windows and Linux can be run on the same computer, but they
cannot be
running at the same time. As a general rule, install Windows
first, but
don't partition the entire drive. Leave at least 5 to 10 GB
of space
for Linux. Then download a linux CD, boot from it, and any
good,
friendly Linux CD will recognize that you have Windows
installed, and
will allow you to choose which one when your system starts
up.
Always read documentation though before doing that. Also, if
you just
want to try Linux and don't want to install it, download and
burn a CD
of KNOPPIX (http://w
ww.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html). You can then
boot your computer from the CD and use Linux without every
touching
your hard drive. 
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