You are right that downloading all those KDE packages and the libraries I listed, is some work. However, I do recommend them over the Thac packages at http://rpm.nyvalls.se. And yes, you can get those Mandriva packages from any Cooker-site, not just the one I listed. EasyURPMI at http://urpmi.org helps you in finding other sites. And yes, you got everything right.

The easiest way to get KDE 3.4 naturally is to become the Mandriva Club Member.

I don't have the wget-script anywhere now, but you do not need to download every single KDE-package. Just the parts you actually need + their libraries. Remove KDE-packages you don't need from Software Removal and then see what you have installed (rpm -qa|grep kde), then update those packages.

I've now connected to ftp://mandrake.contactel.cz/Mandrake...586/media/main and am trying to sort through the list you gave me and select those files for copying ... but I can't find
automake1.7-1.7.9-2mdk.noarch.rpm

same thing for dirmngr-0.5.5-3mdk.i586.rpm
as a non mandrake member is there no way I could add a cooker site to my urpmi sources and then just give a command for it to download & install them automatically? btw, what happens if while I'm downloading/installing I have krusader running?

I'm getting all mixed up here and more files are missing ... if it was just me I'd give up on 3.4 now ... but this seems to be an oportunity for all my Linux friends to say that Mandriva stinks ... and we can't have that .. gotta have 3.4 :P Is there really no way of doing this all somehow via something like "urpmi kdeall34" without being a mandrake member?

You'll find the missing packets either from http://rpm.pbone.net or http://rpmseek.com Just a few ones you need to get from elsewhere than the Cooker-site.

I strongly recommend against adding the Cooker-source directly to your URPMI. It would update ALL your system files to unstable test-versions. I would NOT do that.

Once you have the packets you need saved on the hard drive in one folder, then you can add that folder to URPMI and do --auto-select, just as I explained before. It will upgrade all the packets that it finds newer versions for from your KDE-folder. Once you have the required files, you can then save the folder for later use and also update your friend's Mandrivas.

Easier way might be to use Thac's site as an URPMI-source, but those rpms in installation were stopping a dozen times to different conflicts and even after successful installation there were strange translation errors and bugs (icons in the taskbar disappeared everytime "update-menus" ran and bookmarks in Konqueror were lost in every login). I do have a script to automate the Thac-packets installation better, so that the conflicts are avoided. I posted it under the other KDE 3.4-topic on this Mandriva-forum.

I've just found your script at "KDE 3.4 Mandrake available" thread .. so that encouraged me to get back to selecting and downloading the files I find in the cooker from the list you gave me ... but what will happen to the missing ones?

aaa, you answered in the meanwhile! thanks!

hmmm, so that script is for Thac's rpms, not for the ones you told me to download from a cooker ftp? For the solution you gave me it's enough just to do those 3 commands?

in the cooker server I found gnupg-1.4.0-4mdk.i586.rpm not gnupg2 you gave me in that list. Does it have to be gnupg2?

from the KDE site i seem to be pointed towards ftp://ftp.roedu.net/pub/mirrors/ftp..../stable/3.4.1/
and there does seem to be a connectiva folder ... but then again once there I don't know what to do. I wish installing was easier : (

a lot of files in the list seem to not corespond with ones in the cooker ... please forgive me make if i stop now. It's just not worth all this effort. Reason I had chosen mandriva was for the ease of use of urpmi and leaving the work up to the system and download ... seems I was wrong. I've already spent way too much time on this. Any ideas if there will be an easy official way to do it soon? Maybe with a single urpmi comand and server? or by downloading some iso and using it go upgrade?

The package names have to match what I posted (yes, gnupg2, not gnupg). Versions don't need to be exactly the same, newer ones should also do. And yes, the script in the other thread was for the Thac's rpms. You can try installing those instead, if you find it easier.

If there would be webspace somewhere about 400 - 500MB, I could upload all the KDE 3.4.1 rpms there (eg. everything as a tar-packet) so that you could download them all at once. But otherwise:

Become the club member
OR
Wait 'till the next Mandriva (maybe it comes with KDE 3.4)
OR
Use the Thac's rpms (note that they do NOT have all dependencies, you'll still need to get a few libraries manually from http://rpm.pbone.net)
OR
suffer the hassle.

For me getting all the KDE-rpms and dependencies took about 4 - 5 hours, but then again, I didn't have a package list, I had to manually find out which libraries I needed in addition. And I'll be using this update CD for tens of Mandriva-computers anyways now.

you are trully a great person! thanks!!!