Hi

New to linux (but v impressed!), running fresh FC4_64 install. Done some heavy reading on the net to get me up to speed, but I have a few questions that googling doesn't turn up any conclusive answers for, any help would be appreciated

- Lots of places warn against mixing the lidnia repos and the rest of 'em (freshrpms etc.), even in that yumfix script. However it seems fine to switch your repo sources to get the rpms you want. Does it matter if you use one repo to get a package or to update (e.g. upon first running I ran a yum update across the board, but I was using the lidnia repo), then change your yum config? Does this then make subsequent updates clash, or is it just a matter of not using both repos in the same yum session? And when you get a package conflict, what's the go? (remove one of em I presume?)

- how the **** do you get WMA support onto xmms. I've tried the unofficial install guides goin, got xmms running with MP3 fine via 'yum -y install xmms-mp3' etc. However, when I install the xmms-wma plugin (both via yum, tried again by removing then installing the rpm from the freshrpms website) it crashes the thing. I'm using the x86_64 builds. (and subsequent to the above post yes I'm still on the freshrpm repo config for yum).

- where (ie what location) does FC4 install programs?

- how do you automount a fat32 drive so it doesn't come up as owned by root? (as its fat32 even if you log in as root you can't seem to change the permissions) This is so I don't have to log in as root just to let my windoze machine write to my samba shares on the fat32 drive.
Current fstab line (working, just read only unless u log in as root)
- /dev/hdc1 /archive vfat auto,user,rw 0 0

Any advice from experienced fedora users would be much appreciated.

ps I wish they put in big bold letters SELINUX WILL MESS UP YOUR VNC AND SAMBA SERVERS. Spent two days troubleshooting my samba server (right down to basic network isolation testing, tcpdumps and isolation tests w/ other PCs, cables n all) only to figure it out.... DOH!!!

On the wma support in xmms, im also searching for an answer. AT the minute im using mplayer to play wma files.

SELinux does more than mess up vnc and samba at the minute. I can name a few other things that it screws up. Games and punkbuster games in specific, certain drivers, etc. But then i guess it was never intended for use on desktop machines that might be used for things other than openoffice and programming. Ive had to disable it for the minute until they either sort out the targeted policies, or i can find some way of allowing the things i like to use with it.

The place fedora installs programs to is well, simply all over the place. Mostly you can find bits in /usr/share and /usr/local/share, the executables in /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin, libraries in /usr/lib. Very definetly not a windows style of installing things, but then this isnt windows. I tend to install things i like to places i can find them again, on a programs partition i have for storing programs, utils, backups, etc.

A piece of advice. If you find you cant get older programs to run due to the new gcc 4 lacking gcc 3.2 compatibility, then get one of these rpm's from rpmfind.

http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/se...&system=&arch=

Beyond all of it, i do like fedora core 4. But its been a pain in the ass so far. :P

Thanks mate - useful knowledge.

One followup: upon installing GCC, I downloaded RPMs and installed in terminal using rpm-Uvh, came up 100% completed etc. (I didn't use your link, but it was definitely GCC 3.2).

However upon trying to ./configure again, it didn't detect GCC 3.2... came up "not installed".

- Is there a switch to force it etc.?
- Or do I have to "register" the 3.2 compiler somewhere?

Cheers

The compat libraries just provide the libstdc++ shared object for gcc 3.2 that some things require. To get the full gcc on is a whole different problem, one ive done a few times without much success.

When i installed the compat libs i just did a rpm -ivh, since i wasnt upgrading anything. If it still is having probs with it, you may need to link the so file to /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.5

So far its worked ok for me, but ive been mostly recompiling stuff for gcc4 or using prebuilt gcc4 rpms.

You mean telling the compiler (e.g. putting a switch into your ./configure or make install commands) to specifically use a different library whilst compiling the part of the package that fails? If so, any pointers?

cheers

Give me an idea of what your trying to compile and i'll see if i can work out a way of compiling it (or find you a prebuilt binary).

Thanks for the offer mate! But its just some dumb games (and to be honest windoze has much better games, pretty much its only advantage I guess unless you need specialised software e.g. music production, CAD/CAM etc.!) so I don't bother ya with the issue...

But on a very related note, I have read that you need to do the above (ie compiling specific parts with GCC 3.2 instead of 4) to get java (and hence Azereus etc) runnin... would you recommend following those "unofficial" notes floating around for FC4, or wait till GCC 4.0 is compatible?

Damn this bleeding edge nonsense, should have gone w/ an older distro eh as a linux newbie! oh well, live and learn

I can confirm just installing the latest java jre works, without any problems. No compiling required. I currently have azureus 2.3.0.5_B2 running, and have had it running on FC4 ever since i installed it.

There are no probs with FC4 and Azureus.

As for linux games, i only play enemy territory and UT2004. Both work quite happily on FC4. Although if you're trying to compile something like bzflag or gnuchess, i guess there may be some probs (though i think both of these already have rpms in the fc4-extras repos).

If you ever get bored and want to learn some new stuff. Try a linux from scratch installation, its a real eye opener.