Problem w/gtk install

[salvador peralta <admin fidm los-angeles ca us>]

I recently set up a linux system running Mandrake 7.1. As part of the
install, I got  gtk+-1.2.7.1, gtk+-devel.1.2.7-1, glib-1.2.7-1,
glib-devel-1.2.7-1.  My first compile (base.c from the tutorial), kept
failing due to the following errors:

salvador ]$ gcc base.c -o base 'gtk-config --cflags --libs'
gcc: gtk-config --cflags --libs: No such file or directory in
file included from /usr/include/gdk/gdk.h:31
        from /usr/include/gdk/gdktypes.h:33  from
/usr/include/gdk/gdk.h:31
        from /usr/include/gtk/gtk.h:31
        from base.c:1:
/usr/include/glib.h:66: glibconfig.h: No such file or directory

I did some checking and found that glibconfig.h was put in a bad
location as part of the install.  I copied it to /usr/include, tried a
re-compile, and now I got the following error:

salvador ]$ gcc base.c -o base 'gtk-config --cflags --libs'
gcc: gtk-config --cflags --libs: No such file or directory

Next, I used rpm to remove gtk+-1.2.7.1, gtk+-devel.1.2.7-1,
glib-1.2.7-1, glib-devel-1.2.7-1.and gtk+-1.2.7.1.4mdk, downloaded and
installed gtk+-1.2.8.1, gtk+-devel.1.2.8-1, glib-1.2.8-1,
glib-devel-1.2.8-1 using rpm and tried to compile again.  No effect.

Per the instructions in the faq, I did gtk-config --libs. which, on my
system, shows -L/usr/lib amd -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lgtk -lgdk -rdynamic
-lgmodule -lglib -ldl -lXi -lX ext -lX11 -lm.   A check of ls.so.conf
shows the following:

/usr/lib
/usr/X11R6/lib
/usr/i486-linux-libc/lib
/usr/local/lib

Next I tried gtk-config --cflags which shows the following:

-I/usr/lib/glib/include and -I/usr/X11R6/include

Checking both directories I found glibconfig.h in /usr/lib/glib/include
and nothing but the directory ./X11 in /usr/X11R6/include

I also checked /usr/local/lib and /usr/lib for the following files:
libgtk, libgdk, libglib, libgck, et al.  None existed in either
directory.

Strangely, when I did rpm -e gtk gtk-devel it says that neither package
is installed, but rpm -Uvh gtk+-1.2.8-1.i386.rpm and the same for the
devel version shows that they are installed.  Is the faq wrong?  should
I be looking for gtk+-versionnumber+-osversion.  I tried that and it
says that they aren't installed either.

So what am I doing wrong?  I've spent at least 10-15 frustrating hours
on this over the last few days.  I've read the faq.  I've parsed through
about 6 months of mailing list archives.  I've searched dejanews and
google.  Nothing seems to work.   I could really use some help at this
point.

Regards,

Salvador Peralta