i've recently installed mandrake 10 and i've just checked updates why are there so many updates already, should i install them all to be on the safe side?

"should i install them all to be on the safe side?" That's not necessary. If the package is for something you use, is running, or might use, then there is reason to update. Of course, to be more sure than sure, you can update everything. "why are there so many updates already[?]" There are thousands of developers working on the system you are using. Major open source software projects are in constant development. For example, the stock kernel is at 2.6.6 while Mandrake 10 Vanilla is at 2.6.3. Don't worry, you're not far behind the wheel of progress. 2.6 is fresh and a lot of attention is focused on it right now.

IIRC Mandrake classifies it's updates and tells you the reason for each one. You'll only get to see updates for software already installed and if it's classified as a security update you'd be foolish not to install it.

Wolfbone has it right. If you are seeing many updates in the Mandrake Update tool, these are all updates for packages which are already installed. These will be security updates, bugfixes or newer versions of installed software. In each case you should install the updates to insure a stable secure system Ernie [ewilcox@buckeye-express.com] ICQ 41060744 Registered Linux User 247790 Contributing author to Uptime http://www.steidler.net/uptime

I use cron and swaret on my slackware box to automatically update installed packages every night, same sort of thing as apt-get for debian, yum for redhat, urmpi, emerge, ports, windoze update etc. Once you've done it the first time there won't be so many updates the next. It's quite nice coming into work finding a whole set of new screensavers running on my desktop!