Have a number of files to install...in xxxx.1.2.3.tar.gz.

Have figured gunzip, tar.
End up with dir.+files, but cannot seem to "make".
./configure usually ends with no cc or gcc found.

I believe that cc binarifies a file??
How can i have an operating system without it?
Where would it be?
There are no development tools on my distribution....

cc and gcc are C compilers. They're what's used to create the executable stuff (in binary) for a particular machine architecture (386, Pentium, etc.) You will need gcc if you want to install any software that is distributed in source code form (since you will be compiling it yourself, using make, etc.)

What distribution do you have? Most major Linux distros come with gcc, and all the related stuff you need to do compilation.

Mandrake 8.0
Nothing in my development options... one disk ...not all there, me suspects!!
where could i get it on the web??

It is in the following path:

xyz/SUNWspro/bin/cc

u need to have it installed i guess.

OK...Looked at the site....i need both cc and gcc, are they distribution specific?? do they come together? not quite sure on this....same as development compilers??

gcc is simply symlinked to cc (or vice versa depending on how you read that, anyway cc is nothing but a link, gcc is the actual compiler...)

As for where you can get files, check out mirrors:
http://www.gr.kernel.org/pub/mirrors...drake-old/8.0/
http://www.google.com/search?q=mandrake-old+mirrors
http://mirror3.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirro...i586/Mandrake/
http://mirror3.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirro...48mdk.i586.rpm

Anyway, I think you get the picture...

So fire up rpmdrake, add your favorite mirror containing files from the RPMS directory (or whatever tool you wish to use, I suggest using Software Manager in the Mandrake Control Center though..)
And in the search area type:
gcc
select all the packages and click "install"

From there it will go through, download all the necessary applications (there will be A LOT) and install them. If you are on dial up, go to sleep.

When you wake up, hopefully there were no time-outs and it finished successfully and now you've got gcc installed.

Cool

ok....think i got the right file....
gcc2.95-2.95.3-1mdk.src.rpm
thought i check first.
this correct??
then install with software manager?

r peple still using dial up ??

I got files from the sites....downloaded some files...
used urpmi to unpack, connected to web and downloaded some files...
./configure gets further now, but ends not finding glib.
From what i can gather, this is core c lib that a box needs to run?? is it possible i have it in a different name?
also, now i cannot use urpmi, get an error in line 811.

Have i confused my box to much?

You may have, but try finding the binary urpmi at your favorite mirror, download it and install with:
rpm -ivh urpmi*.rpm

Then try using it again:
urpmi glibc

Cool