Installing packages

First time Linux user, and I am trying to install HylaFAX. The documentation states to first install the following 3 packages.

So I tried: but the reply was:

Same results from the next two packages. Any suggestions? Also, if I have a fairly new PC, should I be using i386 or something like x86-64?

Thank you

Try using yum to install what you need. Like


i*86 (x86) is for 32-bit computers and x86_64 (x64) for 64-bit. If it's a new computer it's probably x64 but you should check if you aren't sure. uname can help.

Thanks, When I used your suggestion, I found they were already installed. Also, you were right about x86_64.

PS. Using Linux to respond to you right now. Verify exciting!

In general, you should always try to use your distro's package manager to install things ("yum" in your case, or "apt-get" if you find yourself on a Debian-based system). The package manager will take care of all the dependencies for you and automatically install any other packages that are required. This will save you a lot of trouble.

The main reasons for installing things another way (such as downloading an individual rpm/deb file yourself, or compiling from source) would be if your distro doesn't have a package for the application you're installing, or if you really need a version that's later than what's in the repositories.