finding software for my architecture
 

hey there, i had a question about what to do about the lack of software for my computer. it's a dual opteron, and when i look for amd64 RPMs or precompiled binaries, it's usually for i386 or other architectures. what can i do about this? is the solution to compile from source? there are a lot of software packages i'd love to be able to use (dosbox), and i dont see amd64 versions.

i dont know how to compile from source yet, but it's only because i haven't done it yet, i'm learning quickly.

so basically, when i see precompiled versions of things i want to use, but no amd64, i should compile my own? or am i way off here? thanks for any info.

CJ

just do a search here or on google...there are tons of instructions for building from source. What distro are you using?

i'm using FC4. the problem isnt compiling from source, i'm sure i can figure out how to do that. i'm just not sure that it is what i need to do. if there is no amd64 precompiled package, i just compile it myself, and i'm good to go (if it works)?

i wasnt sure if i could use the i386 packages, or if i needed amd64 specific packages. i dont mind having to compile all the time, as long as it means i can use the software i want to. thanks!

CJ

If you use the source it will compile against your architecture. There isn't really any i386 and 64 specific source to my knowledge, you just grab the source and compile. There should be lots of stuff for fedora and 64 tho

ok cool. should i do this more often, or can i use i386 binaries if available? i cant find certain things with fc4 and amd64. thanks for the help.

CJ

I would compile, but actually I do think i386 binaries will install fine.