After mucking around trying to install and integrate Firefox and Thunderbird into my Mandrake 10/Gnome system from tarball files, it was suggested that it would be easier to install and integrate these applications if I were to install from RPM files and use RPM Drake. Where is a good place to download RPMs for these applications that are specifically designed for use by Mandrake 10?

Do you know about urpmi ? If not learn and save yourself a lot of hassle

http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/

Thanks. What is urpmi? I will follow the instructions contained in the link you provided and see what happens.

I visited the link and followed the instructions precisely. I got errors all over the place when I executed the commands that were detailed. I guess I will look into another plan of attack. It is a pity, urpmi was looking like a simple solution.

I just tried Mandrake Update. This would not work either. The following is the series of onscreen messages I received when trying to use Mandrake Update.

I need to contact MandrakeSoft Website to get the mirrors list. Please check network is running. OK to continue?
I SELECT YES (INTERNET CONNECTION IS ACTIVE)

I can't find any suitable mirror. There can be many reasons for this problem, the most frequent is the case where the architecture of your processor is not supported by Mandrake Linux Official Updates.
I HAVE A RUN OF THE MILL P4 INTEL PROCESSOR

You may also choose your desired mirror manually: to do so launch the Software Media Manager and then add a Security updates medium. Then restart Mandrake Update.
I HAVE NO IDEA EXACTLY HOW TO DO THIS. I CAN OPEN THE SOFTWARE MEDIA MANAGER, BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ADD A MIRROR

I am used to spending endless hours installing new software on my Linux system, so I will perservere with the help of forum posters as I have in the past. Here I go again.

I went back to the EASY URPMI web site and tried a different mirror and it seemed to start working. The mirror I chose was in Taiwan, I guess I will try one in USA or UK as maybe if I use Taiwan I will get some data/packages that are no good to me due to language difference. Maybe this is a wrong assumption?

I followed the instructions at EASY URPMI and used mirrors in Taiwan. It seemed to work.
However the version of Firefox now presented for installation by urpmi/rpmdrake is way out of date.
Does urpmi not always present the latest version of an application?
I may have to go back to a manual install from tarball to get the latest version.

Mandrake 10 is an old system and isn't supported... I don't know it must be years now. Besides Mandrake changed its name to Mandriva. They are not allowed to use the name Mandrake any more. If you look at the club page you can see the "Rpmdrake and Mdkonline update" warning. Most likely your old system is still looking for the name Mandrake in the ftp mirrors and you're lucky you found one.
Mandriva\Mandrake is\was using point release cycle which means they don't do version upgrades between releases. They just provide bug and security fixing. So you won't get the freshest Firefox from urpmi unless there are some unofficial mirrors which provide it.

You are getting yourself into a knot and this is not where we would like to see you.
I would suggest a recent linux magazine with a dvd or some other way to get a dvd of mandriva one or the new one out soon
Install this and then use urpmi for your firefox etc with the stuff you need already there ,no plugins needed.

The new mandriva will be splashed around everywhere.

Thanks. If I get hold of the latest Mandriva DVD and install it, will it detect my existing Mandrake 10 OS and install the new version as an upgrade? In other words will the upgrade be seamless and incorporate what is needed from my existing data and settings, or do I have to start the whole deal from scratch?
I don't want to have to rebuild my system from scratch every 3 years, although this may be the way things are. Has there been a lack of continuity through the development of Mandrake/Mandriva over the last 5 years? As a Mandrake 10 user it seems perhaps I have been cast adrift in some way, excluded from the new world of Mandriva. Is this true? If so, if I stick with Mandriva will this situation arise again?

You should be able to current packages here

ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/mandr.../main_updates/

Like they say "suck it and see"
It will probably do an upgrade but I have found they often have errors in the upgrade program because they try to cater for a massive variety.
I prefer to do a new install but first do so without formating the user partition hda6. All of your user settings are in the hidden ".????" (dot ) files in there.
You will lose roots individual settings which are stored in hda1.

You better do a clean install. A lot of things changed since Mandrkae 10 not just the name.

Thanks. A clean install makes sense. I just can't see an upgrade working without major hassles.

I went back to the manual install from the tarball. I found using URPMI highly problematic. Errors evrywhere.