Thanks for the info. I have moved to kubuntu 6.06 and someone has kindly made a .deb file so I am in 0.44 heaven now.
The thing I get from this thread is that Linux distros move so quickly, they are having their libraries and other wobbly bits coded so rapidly that it's impossible to keep pace with them all, let alone just one of them.
This is due to the obviously limited resources and voluntary nature of those (like you guys) writing OSS applications to run on Linux.
In an ironic way this speed of improvement of Linux is a strength for Windows. I demonstrate this by means of Inkscape 0.44 and how one can with relatively no trouble develop for Windows and release any old time and users like me can pick up the binary and run it. No mess. No fuss.
That's the contrast for me I suppose. I'll stick with Linux thanks :) That means sticking with these weird version situations.
I wonder if the situation will ever reach a balance, where the vital libs don't move so quickly because they are finished, done, complete and so Linux won't change so massively internally and will approach a kind of binary stability like win has now?
Perhaps I've got the wrong idea completely!
Anyway, thanks for your time.
D.