Hi,
Once a year I try to become familiar with linux. I'm using Mandriva 2006 and I want to install new software which is not included in my current urpmi sources, which are
(Installation Free CD1 (cdrom1)
Installation Free CD2 (cdrom2)
Installation Free CD3 (cdrom3)
jpackage
plf-free
plf-nonfree
updates
main
contrib)

There are many programms which I want to include, but for the time being I want to install macromedia flash player. I'm looking for a way to type urpmi.addmedia blablabla and whenever a new flashplayer is coming out, then the new version should be upgraded to. The problem I have is

Where do I know the adress to tell urpmi from?

I went to the download section: wehwehweh dot adobe.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&P2_Platform=Linux&P3_Browser_Version=Netscape4[/url]
(which is not marked as an url, because this is my first post and I lack of right to post links)
and then I could download the package and get everything going. But the problem is to tell urpmi the adress, so it upgrades when a new player comes out. I need some hdlist.cz, do I? Where on the homepage is it? And even more important: How do I find out where it is by myself (for the future)?

I picked the macromedia example for another reason. Because there it might be possible to tell urpmi this. But it's not possible with every program? It's not possible to upgrade any program, maybe even a hobby programmer has done for linux with urpmi. It has to be supported somehow, am I right?

It would be nice if you could explain this issue to me or give me a helping link. I only found "download D§dalfh.rpm, download daaqewlrhl.zip",... but no instruction to help urpmi.

Thanks in advance!

You understand urpmi right (I see you have the standard easy-urpmi entries), and you took the right steps.

Unfortunately, commercial companies' support for Linux is still largely "experimental". So far, some agree to distribute Linux versions of their products, but we're still far from the day when those companies all will provide urpmi/apt/whatever entries...

Fortunately:
- If the file you downloaded is a RPM file, you can run as root.
- If the file you downloaded is not a RPM file, you can transform it into one with checkinstall.
No automatic update in either case though.

Yves.

[edit:]Go and see the Mandriva site. I believe their "Mandriva CLUB" suits your need, and it is a nice way to support their good work with the distro.[/edit]

Ah thanks. It may be ridiculous to demand that much from Linux. But you know, that starting in Linux is tricky and I want to safe as much work as is possible I don't have the real feeling what Linux can do and what it can't right now.

To put it simple (too simplified maybe):

- Linux can do almost everything any other OS can, or very near so, with correct efficiency.

- Linux can't use hardware for which no driver is available (the manufacturers' fault...)

- Linux can't use software written for another OS, except by using an emulator or equivalent, which slows down execution, and often is not complete.

Yves.