I'm new to the linux world

[Grihm1]

Thanks to all that replied. The gcc/c++ came into the picture because as I was reading this Red Hat linux book I got to a point where it wanted me to test a simple program. Therein came my first impediment. But my goal is to become an linux admin/developer. I really thought that this impediment was something I thought could me answered by you guys because the book failed to.

I tried Fedora
su -
yum install make automake gcc gcc-c++ kernel-devel
and got "Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Setting up Install Progress
Setting up Repositories
Core
Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: Core
Error: Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: Core

But Debian
su
apt-get install build-essential
Loaded fine.

So I'll be playing with Debian more. I got Fedora, Ubuntu and RHEL due to the fact I wanted to load OSes on the additional desktop and laptops I have. I have a background in HPUX and Cisco Networking, so I have to aptitude. So that's about all for now. I'll dig into linux now and if I get stuck again, I'll be chiming back in.
Thanks again to all.

[Grihm1]

Oh, and regarding the Red Hat issue, I found via the internet that Red Hat version 9 was the last version of desktop, I believe, and that Fedora is the replacement. RHEL is alive and well.

[Mudgen]

I tried Fedora
su -
yum install make automake gcc gcc-c++ kernel-devel
and got "Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Setting up Install Progress
Setting up Repositories
Core
Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: Core
Error: Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: Core

What version of Fedora is this:
cat /etc/redhat-release

What are the contents of /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora.repo and fedora-updates.repo?

[kurtdriver]

This is what the relevant part of /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora.repo should look like. This newer format works without regard to which version you are using.
You must use either the baseurl or the mirrorlist lines. Those tell yum where to go for packages for your version.

[fedora]
name=Fedora $releasever - $basearch
failovermethod=priority
#baseurl=http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/$releasever/Everything/$basearch/os/
mirrorlist=https://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/metalink?repo=fedora-$releasever&arch=$basearch
enabled=1
metadata_expire=7d
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-$basearch

and the updates

[updates]
name=Fedora $releasever - $basearch - Updates
failovermethod=priority
#baseurl=http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/updates/$releasever/$basearch/
mirrorlist=https://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/metalink?repo=updates-released-f$releasever&arch=$basearch
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-fedora-$basearch

[Mudgen]

The repos now support Fedora 7 and up. If you have Fedora Core 6 or lower, no fedora or updates repos in the project. Don't know if there are archives anywhere, but they're not in the mirrors.

[Grihm1]

I'm going to back burner this Fedora for now. I've got my Debian working with the gcc so I can move forward. One last question, what's the difference between Fedora Core 5 and Fedora 14? I have them both.

[kurtdriver]

New Fedora versions come out every six months or so. So the difference in age is about four and a half years. FC5 is unsupported meaning that its' bugs, including security holes, are unfixed. Using software that is that out of date is unadvisable.

[Grihm1]

Wow, so Core is no longer in the name? Simply Fedora?

[Mudgen]

The Wikipedia article on Fedora has a decent history summary:
Fedora (operating system) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fedora Core 5 was released with kernel 2.6.15. Fedora 14 has 2.6.35. Also most software packages will have commensurate version advances between the two.

[Mudgen]

Wow, so Core is no longer in the name? Simply Fedora?

Correct. Fedora Core 6 was the last Fedora Core release, technically. The "Core" was dropped with Fedora 7. But many people still use the old name, or refer to FC14. It's really not an important distinction, IMHO.