KDE vs. Gnome
 

Not sure what the deal is.
When I first installed Debian (woody) I eventually came to a Gnome xwindow thing. I had done all sorts of things wrong (go figure) so I reinstalled.
Now I come to a KDE xwindow thing that looks totally different. I like it. The file system semms pretty easy for me to figure out and use, so I think I'll stick to it.
My question(s) is "what did I do to cause the change from 1 install to another" and "is this a true Linux format, or is some ""babied-up"" version that won't really teach me much about ""Linux"" itself".
I really want to learn.

KDE and Gnome are both desktop managers. And the main difference is that KDE is based on Qt graphical library whereas Gnome is based on GTK+ graphical library.
After, it's a question of feeling: some will prefer KDE, other GNOME....

Linux itself has nothing to do with those desktops. Those desktops environments are just a wrap around the command shell. They, as many others, provide a couple of tools and applications to make your navigation and administration through Linux "easier", ratter then using the command line. Personally, I found both very similar, with inefficient tools. I use Blackbox and XFCE, because they are clearly faster then those big guns...

Coming from Windows, both KDE and Gnome makes your life easier. But the true Linux power lies on the shell command, in my honest and humble opinion. Here are few other desktops that you might want to check out:

Blackbox:
http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/

XFCE:
http://www.xfce.org/index.php

Fluxbox:
http://fluxbox.sourceforge.net/

IceWM:
http://www.icewm.org/

CDE:
http://www.opengroup.org/tech/desktop/cde/

Well, most of those sites has screenshots, so you can see how much Linux desktop can vary. It's cool. There are many more, let's see if somebody else collaborate to the links ;)

Regards!