Question on code from linux "a" to linux "b"
 

Can I use Mandriva compliner to code from Red Hat (from download site) to Mandriva format (on my computer)? I know Red Hat RPM will not work with Mandriva and openSUSE. Will compline the code will do it or I need to refix the code before compline it?

I am planning on to download the code from differ web site.

I am looking and research new Linux software for my machine. I do not know which is good Linux software. I am thinking about using the "Debian" or "PCLinuxOS". Any information will help. Remember, I am NEWBIE.

Thank

If you are a newbie and you have used Mandriva, then I think definitely the best option for you is PCLinuxOS. It's a community distro based on Mandriva, it's very easy to use, it comes with most codecs preinstalled, and you hardly ever need to use the command line. They have forums and an irc channel called #pclinuxos (there's also #pclinuxos-support) in the Freenode irc network. They also have good forums. Checkout http://www.pclinuxos.com/

Can you actually clarify what you're asking? Your post makes little sense to me. Are you asking whether you can compile source code? As long as you have the required dependencies, you should be able to build the software.

Sorry, I thought you were looking for a new Linux distribution. Do you really want to compile software, or you mean "install"? You probably mean the latter. If you are using the Mandriva distribution, you shouldn't download software from Red Hat's repositories. It may break your system. You should only install the sofware you can see in their sofware installation program. In other distros, like Ubuntu, Debian and PCLinuxOS, this program is called Synaptic; in Mandriva I don't remember, I think it's Urpmi http://soft.zoneo.net/Linux/install-software.php .
On the other hand, if you really want to compile sofware, you should download the .tar.gz archives in sourceforge http://sourceforge.net/. Then you have to unpack the compressed file, and then use the command line. Usually it involves typing "cd ./Desktop/programName" (assuming you unpacked the tar.gz file in that directory) and then typing "./configure" then "make" then "make install". But that's not always the case, so before doing that, you should open the directory where you unpacked the file, and search for a file called README, which will have the exact instructions of how to compile. Sometimes it just works, but sometimes you have problems with missing dependencies and the like, so it's definetely not the easy way to install sofware. Another way to install software is to get a ".rpm" package in some website that says it's compatible with your distro (which is currently Mandriva, right?) and then install the package using the KPackage program, or another similar program.
On the other hand, you can try another distribution like PCLinuxOS, Debian or Ubuntu, but you don't install it on top of Mandriva, you install it instead of Mandriva. You can have more than one distribution in the same computer, but you can only run one of them each time you boot your computer. When you boot your computer you get to choose which distro to use, or even to use Windows. It's called "dual booting" or "multi-booting". There are programs like VirtualBox or VMware that allow you to run a simulation of other distros or a simulation of windows inside your distro. It's called "virtualization", but that's another story and it's not quite the same as running them "native".

I'm sorry you all miss understanding my question. Let try this.

1.I install mandriva software.

2. Three week later, I found the game (Purple People) on Red Hat's repositories. I know Red Hat game will not work on Mandriva.

3. Can I use game source code(Purple People)from Red Hat and compline it to run on Mandriva OS?

Thank

Honestly I never tried that. I don't know whether the rpm contains source code, but it doesnt need to, it just needs to contain the binaries. When you install an rpm nothing is compiled. I couldn't find the game in google so I dunno whether source code is available at all. If it is, then it should be in sourceforge or in the project's website. You wouldnt need to get it from the Red Hat rpm. And if the source is not available, then you can't compile it. But you can download the rpm and try to install it in Mandriva with KPackage or with the "rpm -i" command. It may or may not work. But if things go very wrong, you may need to reinstall Mandriva.