dependencies :///
 

sorry for bothering all of you but i have a simple and stupid problem. you know what crap happens when you download some nice piece of software do ./configure && make && make install and. in most cases what you get is info about libraries missing and now the point is. what are the programs that would come handy in installation of soruce packages I mean that they would check dependencies and automatically download libraries/packages needed? i'm thinking about changing to linux permanently and id be glad if you could provide me with some feedback on such programs for distros like mandrake or slackware. sorry i'm just a :newbie:

Use the package managers instead of compiling from source, if you are concerned about dependency management.

Mandrake uses urpmi. Slackware has swaret, which does some dependency checking for conventional Slackware packages.