How Do I Get Joomla Working?

So, I downloaded Joomla from joomla.com, but, how do I get it working? I use a Mac, OSX. Do I have to download other stuff, too or what?

I Am Working On A Website Created With Joomla, How Do I Edit It Locally On My Computer?

I am new to Joomla, I need to working on an existing website online and I need to edit content, I installed Joomla,xampp,mysql and phpmyadmin on my computer and it is all functional, I imported the MySQL database but I do not see it in Joomla?

Joomla: When I Finish Working On A Website, Shall I Change The Permissions From 777 To 744 ?

Yes; files should be 744 and directories 755 to prevent others from modifying the files.

How Do I Get Joomla! Working On Linux, Or Madriva Linux (to Be Specific)?

During my installation, I chose web server, so I guess I have apache running. I also know that MySQL is enabled coz I chose the package during installation

How To Learn Working On Joomla Cms? Is There Any Free Downloadable Material For Learning?

I am new to the CMS (content management system). my programmer has given me one from Joomla. But I am not very clear as to how to operate this.
Learned friends may kindly enlighten me on this point. if some free material is available on the net to read and study then kindly send me a [...]