Newbie trying to install VLC on Mandrake AMD64 Linux

[cymorrow]

I have been using VLC on Windows XP with satisfaction for a while now. I am in the process of moving over to Mandrake Linux and want to have VLC in this new environment. But not being a linux expert, although I am not unfamiliar with computers and operating systems, I have hit a brick wall in trying to download much less install a working versiion of VLC on my Mandrake AMD64 Linux PC.

When I go to the download page for Mandrake, I have NO IDEA what the following means:
*********************************************************************************************************
VLC media player for Linux Mandrake x86
Thanks to Götz Waschk who maintains these packages !
Mandrake 9.1, 9.2 and Cooker
To install the latest VLC packages, add the following sources for either Mandrake 9.1, 9.2 or Cooker (you can use Easy urpmi for that):
* contrib from the core distribution;
* plf (Penguin Liberation Front) from the external add-ons.
Then install the required packages with urpmi:
# urpmi libdvdcss2 libdvdplay0 wxvlc vlc-plugin-a52 vlc-plugin-ogg vlc-plugin-mad
**********************************************************************************************************

I admit I am used to a simple download of a setup.exe or .zip file, then click on the setup to install software. Can someone either give me step by step instructions to download and then install VLC in a way a newbie can understand OR point me in the direction where I can find this information so I can figure out how to do it myself.

thanks in advance for any help.

CYM

[zorglub]

Hello,

Linux distributions like Mandrake use centralized packages repositories.

For mandrake, there are 3 important repositories:
* Main that contains all the base packages
* Contrib contains additionnal packages
* PLF is another source that contains "non-official" packages that can't be included for legal reasons.

VLC can be found in the PLF repository, but also needs contrib.

To add PLF and contrib to your system, execute, as root:

Code: Select all

urpmi.addmedia plf ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_Linux/plf/mandrake/10.0 with hdlist.cz urpmi.addmedia contrib ftp://ftp.proxad.net/pub/Distributions_Linux/Mandrakelinux/official/10.0/contrib/i586 with ../../i586/Mandrake/base/hdlist2.cz

PS : the mirrors given here are best for France use. Go to http://easyurpmi.zarb.org to get better mirrors for your contry


Then, as root, type :

Code: Select all

urpmi.update -a

This will fetch the package information

Then:

Code: Select all

libdvdcss2 libdvdplay0 wxvlc vlc-plugin-a52 vlc-plugin-ogg vlc-plugin-mad

Will really install VLC