General :: Focus On Command Line Machine System, Network Basics, And File Management Knowledge?

As a strategy for learning linux I have decided to adopt using a lean windows based approach. I want to focus on command line machine system, network basics, and file management knowledge. In other words find out how desktop manager does it's business, so I know how to master my machine, but by and large once I have made my choices, leave it alone to do just that.

I figure I should know how applications are internally configured etc., but I also figure an apps GUI and config choices should take care of installations, and program usage as in M$ windows. Surely taking care of an applications dependencies are the responsibility of the developer, are they not?

I am working my way through "Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition (Version 1.0.0)" right now for an overall viewpoint. Can anyone suggest a specific source for a point by point explanation of the command basis of a generalised "desktop management" application (KDE,LXDE)? Better yet would be if it had some parallel comparison of the varied approaches taken by different distributions of linux.

A secondary question, is that allowed? Up to a certain point in Ms windows, a thorough knowledge of DOS 6.xx would theoreticaly enable one to more or less duplicate the actions of the windows overlay. Is there a basic distribution (or subset in all of them maybe?) of linux that would be consistent with that paradigm? What would be analogous to DOS batch files, or GM-Basic? Oh! that's 3.I am certainly appreciating the depth of this forum, and the breadth of knowledge among you forumite's. Reading it is time well spent.