robomatic wrote: I would like to learn more about viruses and detecting them, for now I haven't seen a good primer or educational text on the subject.

I don't know of a 'primer' to learn about viruses - as malware of all sorts is still called. I googled, but mainly got sites that tell you how to prevent malware, not tell you how it works. I've acquired my knowledge of malware over decades of reading about it on technical websites. Like this one which was delivered to me via RSS yesterday:
Windows breaks under upgraded IceXLoader malware

Sometimes something interests me further - why does the language that a virus is written in affect detection? - and I might look into that.

But such pieces are full of jargon: delivery chain, C2 server, dropper, payload. So a beginner would need to use e.g. wikipedia to understand those terms.

One thing to beware of. AntiVirus companies are big advertisers and technical sites - like the PC magazines of yesterday - don't like to offend them. You're unlikely to find them suggesting that AV programs are a waste of money, or that they actually make PCs more insecure - though you will find reputable security researchers who have said both of those. (I hold the latter view - but not the former - fwiw.)

So read a respected independant security expert. Someone like Brian Krebs. Maybe poke about in his site.

Above all, as with trying Linux, you need to be technically curious, to want to understand how things work. Then you might be able to understand why you shoukd or shoukd not install an AV.