how do i know if i have one and how do i put it in my path once i've located it?

If simply running gcc fails, I guess it is not installed. Get the rpm and install it.

well i looked at the rpm packages on my install disk and found these:

gcc2.96-cpp-2.96-0.82mdk.i586.rpm
gcc-cpp-3.2.2-3mdk.i586.rpm

i tried to install them and was told by the system they were already installed. so how do i make them work?

you can simply type:

for querying version.

or

for querying info.

You can go to this web site for more help:

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/install.html

it said gcc is not installed.

im confused. why if i try to install the package it sais it's already installed but then the above cammand tells me it's not installed?

Maybe this packages are only part of gcc - cpp, which is not enough for compiling anything.. Maybe you'll have to download a package called gcc-<version>.rpm, without cpp ore something in name.

i'm having the same problem i'm having with installing packages needed to play dvd's:

every package i try to install requires a list of more packages wich require more packages which require more packages and on and on and on infinity. it's impossible.

i just tried to install: gcc-3.4.3-7mdk.i586.rpm

and i got: error: failed dependencies:
binutils >= 2.15.92.0.2-1mdk is needed by gcc-3.4.3-7mdk
gcc-cpp = 3.4.3-7mdk is needed by gcc-3.4.3-7mdk
libgcc >= 3.3.2-5mdk is needed by gcc-3.4.3-7mdk
glibc-devel >= 2.2.5-14mdk is needed by gcc-3.4.3-7mdk

so i tried to install the first one on the list: binutils, and of course..............

error: failed dependencies:
lib64binutils2 = 2.15.92.0.2-6mdk is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libbfd-2.15.92.0.2.so()(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libc.so.6()(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.2.5)(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.3)(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libdl.so.2()(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libdl.so.2(GLIBC_2.2.5)(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk
libopcodes-2.15.92.0.2.so()(64bit) is needed by binutils-2.15.92.0.2-6mdk

but i found out something cool: you can install packages without typing their full path by using *. like rpm -i binutils*. that's freakin' sweet. that's gonna make my linux experience a little smoother.

question: if i type rpm -i binutils* and i have more than one package starting with binutls will it install all of them?

ok, back to the compiler problem

Try changing your directory to where the Linux packages (on your CD, or elsewhere), and type the following:

rpm -ivh gcc-'version'.rpm --aid

The --aid option will automatically install any packages that are needed by 'gcc', from the current directory (the packages directory).

Do you have yum?

it said that --aid is an uknown option. someone told me to use urpmi for that similar function which i tried that too but it's still coming up with missing dependencies.

i don't know. i typed yum, whatever that is, and it didn't recognize it. as of yet, i only know how to search for rpm's that are installed. i tried rpm -qi yum*, untuitively trying to utilize all the resources i have aquired which are slim, but that didn't work. guess one can't use * in this way.

.......but i looked it up on the net. let's see where that takes me.................

that's neat. how do i use it, lol.

i got it installed. looks like i pass an rpm to it?
i think it's expecting one. it gave me this:

./yum/__init__.py:1097: Warning: 'yield' will become a reserved keyword in the future
./yum/__init__.py:1121: Warning: 'yield' will become a reserved keyword in the future
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "./yummain.py", line 22, in ?
from yum import Errors
File "./yum/__init__.py", line 21, in ?
import rpm
ImportError: No module named rpm

try 'removing' (if this can be done) gcc:

rpm gcc --erase --nodeps

--nodeps : will remove the gcc package even if other packages are dependent on it.

then reinstall it again from your linux cds.

it's like i thought, gcc doesn't exist, "package not installed"