This is a log showing the dialogs in terminal in RedHat9. I'm in the process of learning to untar, compile, and install applications from source.

iouzero@pia154-169 iouzero]$ cd gaim-0.59.8
[iouzero@pia154-169 gaim-0.59.8]$ ./configure
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether build environment is sane... yes
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes
checking for working aclocal-1.4... missing
checking for working autoconf... missing
checking for working automake-1.4... missing
checking for working autoheader... missing
checking for working makeinfo... missing
checking for sed... /bin/sed
checking for gcc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cc... no
checking for cl... no
configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH
See `config.log' for more details.
[iouzero@pia154-169 gaim-0.59.8]$

So, I recognize I require a compiler. The questions are, first, is a compiler and its libraries included in the RedHat 9 install, and, if so, how does one access it and get it online?

Second, if not, which compiler is usually used, and what exactly do I have to know to get it and get it up and running?

From this log, is it obvious to those more in the know than myself that any other device is needed?

And, as I move on to the next steps, am I likely to find any other devices I will need?

I apologize for my lameness, but I am at the very beginning of learning linux and have few, if any clues about it. Your help will be greatly appreciated and put to use immediately.

You'll need to install gcc, automake, autoconf, autoheader, makeinfo, aclocal, and probably many others. Your best bet is to find the development rpms and install all of those. You probably won't need a few, but it is better when you're learning to have everything than to be missing only one piece.

It's been awhile since I installled RedHat so I'm not sure if they seperate the install into different catagories.

Yup. What Nis said.

You may have to install the C and C++ libraries as well. Maybe GTK too (does GAIM use GTK?). As mentioned I would hit up your redhat disks and install the development packages.

On a side note I've always thought it was misleading that redhat calls them development packages, because it makes noobs think they don't need them unless they are software developers. Seen this many times before.

Hi, I'm totally new to linux, and is being a great experience to contact with this new world. Everything is so different to all I have met related to the idea I had of a computer, (I mean when I was a routine user of MS Windows). Now, 17years old I'm decided to work totally independent with the only use of Linux. I once started with Macintosh, then I tried Windows, and finally i'm moving to linux, (SuSE 9.0 edition).
I just wanted to inform everyone which reads this, to now how interesting and surprising Linux is being to me.
I'm being finding this problem once and again I want to install some of the great variety, of software I'm shocked to find, and the millions of plug-ins which accompany each program. Well, as I was saying, i'm finding the problem of needing many tools as gcc, etc to possibly compile, built, make, and as a hole, install any program. I've read many of these stuff is easy to find in your installation CD, but the thing is, It appears as If I had already installed all, or most of the stuff necessary, but when I check to see if it is installed, i'ts version etc, I'm surprised to find It isn't installed. As I've said, i'm using a SuSE 9.0 Linux version; should I download RedHat CD's and from there install all necessary compiling programs? I denote RH as a possibility, as I've read there is a great compability between Linux versions.
If there is an easier possibility, which I need to check please let me now. Thank you for listening (reading) to my problem.