There are a few good places to go to get the complete JAL package, including the compiler, a good selection of libraries and an editor. One is Bert van Dam's starter pack. Bert also wrote a book with 50 projects and sample JAL code. This would be a great way for a complete beginner to get started. Bert has congregated lots of libraries in one spot and linked them all in his device include files. This makes it easy to get started. Just download the starter pack and follow the directions on his web site to install to your computer.
Another good way to get started is by downloading the jalpack from Sunish Isaac, the brilliant and generous developer of the free integrated development environment for Jal called JalEdit. Sunish has taken the Jal compiler and his jaledit editor and the libraries from the jallib group and added a windows installer to set it all up for you. The guys at the jallib group are congregating the various scattered collections of libraries, and taking it one step further by trying to use a common API for the libraries. The jallib pack has device files for a lot of less commonly used PICs, so if you are planning on trying out a bunch of different pics you may want this pack. There is also a jallib tutorial.
Once you have one of the starter packs installed, you can start programming. You should probably start with the sample blinking LED programs. Samples of blinking light code are included in each pack. Just bring up the sample blink program for your chip and compile it. This will test to make sure your installation is configured correctly. If it compiles you are good to go.
Next you will need to program your chip. You may want to use a standard programmer for the first few trys. This eliminates a few variables if something goes wrong.
Once you get a blinking light, you are off and running. At that point it will probably pay to add a bootloader to your pic and start using the booloader cable to program the pic with.
As you get started with JAL, here are some resources that will help.
For the JAL language, there is the documentation found on Kyle York's website. This is also where you go to get the updated versions of the compiler.
For the PIC the first thing to do is read the datasheet. For the 16F88 you'll find it here. But don't just read it. You must live the datasheet, love the data sheet, be the datasheet. Keep it under your pillow at night. Once you have read it through a few times it starts to make sense, and you are well on your way to complete mastery of the chip. When the datasheet starts talking to you it is time to move on to another chip. You'll probably refer to the pin diagram over and over, so you might want to print that page out.
When you get stuck there is the jal users group on Yahoo groups. As with any group, it is polite to read the FAQ, search past messages, etc. before posting a question.
If you are ready to get started click here for a step by step explanation of Your first JAL program.