Android After Market OS - CyanogenMod

Looking to root my phone but I don't understand what exactly I'm trying to do with my phone. So could someone dumb it down for me?

Am I technically updating my phone to a bastardized/improved version of Android OS?

@5 No fuck you elitist prick !L33tUKZj5I


@4

They just got it at a garage sale for like $20. I'm dealing with penny pinchers from some foreign country. They don't want a contract at all in any form at all. They don't even use cellphones just a landline for their business.