Aaron, Ralf, Bob and other posters, Thanks for all the information.
I get the following general idea: Linux is much more complex than Windows, making it very difficult (I think Bob Jameson is implying that it is impossible) to (in the case of inkscape) create a tar.gz open-and-run solution.
I am more than ready to be shown when I am wrong and I came to this with a certain attitude; one of not wanting to keep upgrading often, and so my mind was fixed on the examples given by Firefox, Thunderbird and Blender. I can run all of those apps, even the alpha versions, on my FC3 with no problems. In the case of Firefox, the tar.gz is my *only* option becuase FC3 does not support any version over like 1.0.x
I am not as savvy on things like make and svn and C and C++ and all these newfangled (to me) incantations. It would take me months to get a fraction of the picture into my (very dim) head. So, I came here with a certain naive outlook, one of simply dropping-in the needed library files such that inkscape would run for me; and then sharing that with others who might be stuck too.
I am going to focus some time on trying to compile 0.44.1 (I do read Ralf!) In the meanwhile I will hope that DAG or EXTRAS might have 0.44.1 as an RPM before long.
Thanks all for a great app! Regards, Donn. ------------Sceptic Snippets:-- "As an anecdote, I have a childhood friend who has taken over her parents' importing/distribution business, which specializes in commercialized altmed products, based on TCM. For example, ginseng capsules, zinc tablets, echinacea. Her father, who founded this business, had a sore throat and went to the doctor, was diagnosed with throat cancer, got some surgery and radiation and is fine. Not for one second did he consider taking the crap he shills. Drove to and from the surgery in his Mercedes SUV, paid for by the patients who are convinced surgery is useless." JREFF - blutoski --