Can rpm packages (fedora) be installed in suse linux 9.3? I would like to use a prebuilt package for flightgear, but could not find any for suse.

I have wondered this sort of thing my self. You should try it out and see what happens. I have installed RPMs on non RPM systems before but thats a different story. Make sure that you have all of the dependencies that the package needs and if it complains pass it to --nodeps option and see what happens.

SuSE is RPM based anyhow, so as long as you have all the dependencies it should install just fine.

if there are no specific suse rpm that sometimes come with a srpm extension the normal rpm use to work fine on suse. at least i didnt encounter difficulties yet...

NOT... RPM stands for 'Redhat Package Manager' and that is ALL it is, a Package Management System. There are plenty of non-redhat based distro's out there that have dediced to use RPM over the Debian or Gentoo or slackware or any other pkg mgmt system.

Whats relevant here is the code INSIDE the pacakage management container (ie *.rpm, *.deb, *.gz) file. It was compiled in a very specific linux environment... (kernel, libs etc)

I teach my class "The farther away from the tree... " theory..
The more distant a distro is from it's original source, the less likely applications from the original source will work ...
For example...
Redhat begot Mandrake
Mandrake begot Alt Linux
This tells me that Alt Linux and Mandrake share the same roots (redhat) and thus will stand a better chance of installing a APP-VERSION-RHL.RPM than APP-VERSION-xyz.RPM However, with Mandrake being the DIRECT descendant of RHL and Alt Linux the INDIRECT descendant, Mandrake would have the better chance of installing RHL rpms. I also point out that this is a good rule of thumb and not necessarily written in stone since once a branch occurs then it is on its own and can stray even FARTHER from the tree..

So, the decision tree for installing applications, REGARDLESS of what Pkg Manager they use, would be this...
1) From original vendor
2) See if there's an UNOFFICIAL version of this application for your distro lurking
around somewhere and consider using it..
3) If your distro is based on another one (like the redhat example above), see if you can
find the package for THAT distro and install it...
4) If all else fails.. Download the source, su to root, unpack into /usr/local/src/, cd into the
directory, actually READ all the README and INSTALL files... It is also a good idea to
./configure --help | less to see if there's anything the configuration process you can
change to better suit your system and needs.. One prime example is the default
install location ... this is usually /usr/local but that can almost always be
changed with a configuration switch.. ie: configure --prefix=/opt to install in the /opt dir..

Then --->

./configure (with or without any switches depending on your needs)
make
make install
Of course, just prior to pressing the enter key at each step, CROSS YOUR FINGERS..

Using a completely different distro's application is only logical if all else fails and the user is completely UNCOMFORTABLE with the install from source process... Then and ONLY then, and with lots of reservations, do I suggest using a completely different distro version of the application. If you do, and it works... Great.. but don't count on it just because it came in a pkg mgmt format your distro understands and uses..

As always, dependencies must be satisfied or none of the above will work.. LOL.

If I try the install and it does not work, can the package be uninstalled easily thru yast? (if someone has tried what I am attempting to do).

If yast can't do it, then if my memory serves me correctly, you can use rpm to uninstall it with...

rpm -e pkg_name

You might want to verify that with man rpm just to make sure..

Try looking for your package at rpm.pbone.net

http://rpm.pbone.net/index.php3?stat...Gear&srodzaj=3

You could also locate the source (tarball, or .src.rpm) and install it that way, for packages that are not prepared for SuSE. The first step, running ./configure will analyze your system and hopefully pick up small differences.

SRPMs are source RPMs. You have to build them first and then install them. This can sometimes help you overcome any incompatabilities, especially if you can tweak the SPEC file a bit to get it to install better on your distro.

Ok, I just downloaded the suse rpm for flightgear. There was a list of required library files at the bottom of the page. How does one check if they have all the support files?

Try to install it. If you get depedency errors install those packages using YAST.

I just installed it, however, when I go to x terminal and type runfgfs, it comes back with an error (not found). Do I have to path down to where it is installed and where would that be?

Also, I had to run the install twice, because the first time it stoped because of a permissions error. When I clicked 'try again', it went fine.

And do I have to install sim gear?

Did you install it as root?

I was prompted for the root password in yast during the install. I am not familiar with terminal commands. Will the above code in your post take me to or list the folder I am looking for?

The "rpm -ql flightgear" bit will list all the files from the flightgear RPM, the "grep bin" bit will filter only those with 'bin' in their path, which should show you all the executable files it installed.