You will need this change to read packages with rpm-5.0a2:

Index: system.h
===================================================================
RCS file: /v/rpm/cvs/rpm/system.h,v
retrieving revision 2.102
diff -u -b -B -w -p -r2.102 system.h
--- system.h    17 Nov 2007 18:05:22 -0000      2.102
+++ system.h    19 Nov 2007 20:27:03 -0000
@@ -725,7 +725,7 @@ static inline const char *rcsid(const ch
  #include <search.h>
  #endif

-#define        SUPPORT_RPMLEAD         1       /* XXX default is add  
lead. */
+#define        SUPPORT_RPMLEAD         0       /* XXX default is add  
lead. */

  /**
   * Mark --initdb and --verifydb for destruction.

Mea culpa. I forgot that I used the value to initialize the global  
constant _nolead.

73 de Jeff