I’m new to Linux. I downloaded and installed Red Hat Valhalla 7.3. The new version of gAIM (.59) doesn’t install right. I saved it in the /Home directory thing (I’m new so syntax may not be right) and double clicked, I hit install, I thought it installed but a windows popped up saying “KDEInit could not open kpackage”. As a result, nothing installed. Am I doing something wrong? I havent found anything very helpful about kpackage so far, and I don’t really want to quit Linux.
Well, this is no reason to quit Linux. 
Really, I can’t do much with just the information you gave me. Maybe the package you downloaded is corrupted. That’s my current best guess, but I don’t know enough to really troubleshoot at the moment. Maybe KDEInit is flawed somehow, but I would doubt that: It’s a much-used app that would be high on the list to get fixed if it was buggy.
(BTW, I’m not aware of Red Hat naming releases of their distro. Is Valhalla the distro’s name or the name of something else? This is probably tangental to the discussion.)
Forgot to give you my advice:
If it’s corrupt, try to download the same package from a different place. (If you got the one you have from Freshmeat, try Sourceforge, for example.) If KDEInit can’t open the second package, it’s probably not corruption and we’ll have some fun tracking down the real problem.
Valhalla is the name of the distro. And I know that the download isn’t corrupt b/c it worked the first time I installed RH. I reinstalled it b/c I didn’t know (still don’t know) what i was doing with display device drivers. What other information do you need?
Man, I must be really out of touch with the latest Linux stuff. My idea of installing something is:
./configure
make
su -
make install
Or if I’m really lazy
rpm -Uvh packagename
First of all, try the KDE Tk version of the AIM client…it keeps the unity of using KDE stuff. Secondly, install it, seeing that you are new, from your distribution CD/ISO…but ditch GTK, the KDE client KAIM is much better, otherwise use Gnome. go to KDE’s website and get the version that works well and looks proper…the KDE Version
Just setting a few things straight.
RedHad always have named releases, and Valhalla is the code name for their distribution version 7.3.
Although I have never used either gAIM or KAIM, I second donos suggestion of using the native KDE app.
It is POSSIBLE to mix gnome/kde apps, but not recommended. You’ll just end up getting completelly lost. Personally I have very littel experience of gnome, but I love KDE, especially the compact and configurable browser, konqueror.
Just hang in there, read a few howto’s and you’ll be a linux convert in no time.