Upgrading Gnome and more...

["Hartnett" <tardis mediaone net>]

Is there an easier way to upgrade Gnome from 1.2 to 1.4 then downloading the source, and doing the ./configure and other steps for each and every item that needs to be installed? 
Do RPMs exist? I looked around but could not find any, and the documentation in detail for upgrading is thin.
It is not so much doing those steps for each and every package that bothers me, but after checking things it does not always appear that the upgrades install, or there are errors during the configure and make stages. I am not a programmer, I consider myself an average user, and these errors and such are a major pain.
I know about Ximian and their Red Carpet method, but I don't care for what they do to the desktop, the menu change, and other things. Apps seem to be more stable without Ximian. 
Unfortunately Red Hat's "up to date" method does not cover upgrading Gnome.
Is there anyone else out there that does what Ximian does that is worth a try?
Is there Gnome software that functions like Ximian's Red Carpet that will allow me to update Gnome from the "official" Gnome site, or a mirror?

Last of all, out of curiosity, is KDE as much a hassle to upgrade and keep current as Gnome? 
I tried the desktop and it did not catch my attention so I never explored it in any detail. But if it is easier to maintain to keep current, it might be worth a second look.

					Thanks
					Sean