Why do I need to install -devel packages?

Question

I wonder why many times when I install package with yum I need to install package-devel.i386 rather than package.i386. What is the difference between them?

Solution

Normally a package will contain binaries, libraries, and other resources, so that programs linked against those libraries can run.

But when you need to build a package, header files are required normally, in this case, you install theose -devel packages to supply the desired header file.

Try to learn more about C/C++ build mechanism to help you understand this better.

Comments

[jordanm]

In your example package would contain files needed to run programs that use the library. package-devel would contain files needed to compile programs that use the library.

[Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams]

You're going to need to be a little more specific. There may be valid reasons beyond "to build stuff", but we can't tell you with only the little information you've provided.