i am trying to install gcc 3.4.4
I am running mandrake 10.1

[root@localhost gcc-3.4.4]# ./configure
creating cache ./config.cache
checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu
checking target system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu
checking build system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu
checking for a BSD compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
./configure: line 2339: cc: command not found
*** The command 'cc -o conftest -g conftest.c' failed.
*** You must set the environment variable CC to a working compiler


what do i do?

A couple suggestions:

1) You should, as a general rule, not be running as "root." Put yourself in the "sudoers" file and (when you get to the "make install" step) use sudo make install.

2) As the error message said, you need to have a working compiler before you can compile anything, even your compiler.

So, how can you get a working compiler? The simplest way is to use the "update" tools that come with your distribution, for example, apt, rpm, etc. to install a compiler. (I don't use Mandrake, so I can't be specific. Ask in the Mandrake/Mandiva forum here if you need more help.)

and gotta ask why you want to compile gcc in the first place? are you aware that there is no need to do this at all? gcc is already on your distro cd's as an rpm.