Learn dynamics-crm programming at home

I want to learn dynamics-crm on my own and I have few questions.

1. Since it is not a free product, is there any way to run my code and test it (free)?
2. I am a PHP + Java + mysql/sqlserver programmer, I have seen c# syntax and I c that it is similar to Java, is that a good idea t开发者_开发问答o study alone?
3. Where can I find good online resources to study from?

1) Microsoft offers a free 30 day trial for Dynamics CRM Online. You could probably get a new one when the old expires. http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/trial-overview

2) Extending Microsoft CRM entails knowledge of C# and JScript. You should make the jump to C# if you want to be able to write plugins and such.

3) The best resource is definitely the Dynamics CRM 2011 SDK - It contains a lot of samples and is very well documented in its help file. It can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24004. The CRM Developer Training Kit can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=23416. There are more good resources at the CRM Developer Center - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm/bb467596.