difference between RPM and iso
 

when i wanted to download red hat, i could do it through by getting the iso file which i'm familiar and is what I did in order to get redhat on my system.

I was just wondering how i could install red hat if I chose to download the rpm's,

or

are these rpms just there if you have another linux distro (lets say Suse) and would like to install a particular porogram of red hat (lets say we choose an rpm which suse would have) so that way I can run that program under Suse?

thanks

ok...

not sure on what you're going for here, but i'll take a stab...

rpm = package
iso = disk image

the redhat isos should be packed with rpms... that and a install system gets you setup

you can almost think of an rpm as a windows install file for a program. that's what it accomplishes, execept that rpms (and other package formats) are system specific -- that's why their names are so long and cryptic.
--point is that i would not recommend installing a redhat rpm on a suse system... you should be able to find packages built for suse if that's what you're after... though i haven't run suse (not sure on the compatability), i'm used to different distros handling things slightly differently, and redhat tends to be in their own little world.

umm... that help?

oh i see, so the RPM's could be system specific where an RPM designed for Red hat may not work on Suse or Mandrake, etc. What if I downloade the tarball, will I be able to install it on any linux distro or is each tarball like an RPM desigened for each specific distro?

thanks

No, tarballs can compile on any cpu and any linux distro. That's the main advantage of tarballs.

A tarball is basically distro-independent, but you may not have all the libraries required for installation - and it can be directed at specific parts of the system. But yes: It should be all-roundish.