Ok, reason I ask is as follows:

For the time being, I'm using Mandrake 8.1, although it has some quirks that are really irritating and thus I'm considering going to RedHat 7.1

Now, I've noticed when searching for RPMs that sometimes I'll find RPMs that seem keyed for distributions, such as:

sndconfig-0.64.8-1.i386.rpm
sndconfig-0.65.0-2mdk.i586.rpm

In this case, they're also slightly different version numbers, but let's say for the sake of argument that they were the same version.

What exactly is the difference between having one package as pkg-x.yy.x-X.i386.rpm and the other being pkg-x.yy.z-Xmdk.i586.rpm?

Will either one work on either distribution? If so, are there any advantages to using one or the other?

If not, what exactly is different about them?

Thanks in advance...

the difference is very slight. The different distros often hav system folders in different places etc. That is why there is a distinction between the packages.

most of the time it makes little difference (when i used mandrake i installed a package off of a red hat disk) but if given a choice stick to the package that relates to your distro.

HTH

Alex

is the i386 vs i586 part of the filename significant?

it defines teh minimum spec that the binary is precompiled for. Redhat uses lower spec (kinda) rpms, which will still run on 386 machines, whilst Mandrake tries to get extra performance out of the system by only supporting pentiums and up.

Ironically, I have StarOffice 5.2 installed from a Mandrake package on my Red Hat 7.1 desktop computer, and I don't have it installed on my notebook, running Mandrake 8.1.

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LOL I found this the high point of my day. Thanks!!