Perhaps the answer may lie in using the Alien Package converter from: http://www.kitenet.net/programs/alien/ which purports to convert packages into acceptable formats for Stampede, Slackware, Debian, or RPM's. Not having used it I can't vouch for it's performance, it seems to be included in Mandrake 8.1 however, so it must work one way at least, or so one would presume.

John Seago