I'm using urmpi for software downloads whenever possible, and I'm wondering if all the sites are mirrors, meaning they all have the same software versions available, or if some have newer versions than others. In particular, the newest version of Firefox I can install through urpmi (actually going through rmpdrake if that matters) is 0.8.2, and I'd like to be able to install 1.0. Can any help me here? Thanks for any info at all.

They are all mirrors, but they are not necessarily all in synch.

IIRC, I was able to get the Firfox 0.96 (1.0 Pre-Release) as an RPM, but I had to install 1.0 final manually.

Firefox 1.0 is so easy to install manually I wouldn't bother with urpmi

Firefox 1.0 is available in cooker, but cooker is not for general use. Installing Firefox isn't difficult if you can't find a Mandrake rpm for your system. Simply download, extract and then run the installer.

there are some Linux User Groups that maintain some bleeding edge rpm's.
I keep norlug.org on my urpmi source list as of recently and they have mozilla-firefox-1.0-2.norlug.i586.rpm in their repository

I just got to thinking after reading this post. Urpmi only is aware of software you install via rpm, correct? I myself found the lug sites with up to date firefox etc just recently, so my Firefox and Thunderbird was installed manually. I am aware there is a couple new security vulnerabilities in both, so I assume there is already patches available in the urpmi security updates. I have not noticed any patches for them offered to me and I did a security update today.

My question being, will security updates for installed software only be available if you installed that software via rpm's? I would assume that is how it works, so would someone that actually knows, rather than assumes please answer that for me.

I would uninstall Firefox and reinstall via rpm and then check security updates myself to figure it out, but no time this weekend for that.

Lakota: You have it right.

I installed Firefox 1.0 by rpm just yesterday, so it's available

Padma, thanks for the reply,
That gives me a new frame of mind. I guess if you install internet apps without using rpm and don't know how to patch manually(I certainly don't), security goes out the window. Luckily I have found some lug's and stuff making bleeding edge rpm's, will use them from now on.