Linux question

[imbest123]

If I get software that works on Red Hat will it also work on Mandrake?

[RHLinuxGUY]

Yes, they both support RPMS.(RedhatPackageManagement)
Thoug, i never used Mandrake(RedHat's better) it should work fine.

[imbest123]

Thnx. I want to try out Mandrake because Red Hat installs incorrectly for some reason everytime I try it. It boots up and it does all those OK things but then jst goes to a blank screen. Ive heard good things from Mandrake so im trying it out.

P.S. Red Hat worked when I installed it a while ago but I wanted more space for my games so I erased it.

[kilgoretrout]

A couple things. RPMs compiled for redhat may or may not install on mandrake depending on the package. If not you usually just get an error message re conflicts, incompatabilies , etc. There are a ton of rpms compiled for mandrake as there are for rh which is one of the nice things about both distros. Anything you can find for one you can problably find for the other.

Your screen problems with rh. Your graphics card is nvidia based and needs the nvidia driver for optimal performance. This is undoubtedly why you're having problems getting to a gui. Give mandrake a try; it may get you to a gui. But ultimately you'll have to install the nvidia driver which needs to be done from the command line. All that can be a little daunting for someone new to linux. Here's a link describing the process in mandrake:

http://www.mandrakeusers.org/index.php?showtopic=4567

[doctorgonzo]

Great link! I just reinstalled Mandrake 9.2, and I was looking for better drivers for my nVidia card. This helps a lot.

[imbest123]

Thanks kilgoretrout but I dont have an Nvidia chipset on my video card. I have an ATI 32mb DDR Radeon 7000.

[doctorgonzo]

I got the nVidia drivers installed on Mandrake 9.2 (after downloading the source; it isn't on the install CDs for some reason), and now my framerates are reasonable instead of 3 fps.