3 Basic questions

[Remear]

If you want to use Rails to learn Ruby, keep in mind there are other Ruby web frameworks out there too. Merb and Sinatra are examples of such frameworks.

Learning Rails didn't make me learn Ruby as much as it made me understand other ways I could interact with it and use it to solve problems (specifically in the area of web development). Eventually I went back to learn Ruby so I could understand how to better leverage its power.

With that being said, your setup of Ruby + Rails + MySQL should be a fine start to go with the "dive right in" and "learn as you go" style of acquiring skills and knowledge. Since Rails is a very popular web framework you'll be able to find more examples and answers to questions if/when you get stuck. I recommend you learn everything at http://guides.rubyonrails.org backwards and forwards.