i upgraded drupal from 5.2 to 5.5 last night. there have been 2 security updates that i didn't feel were enuff to bother with, but since i intended to install and upgrade a few modules, i thought it best to start off by upgrading the core. this is all in the UPGRADING.txt, so the chronology that follows is meant to serve as an expanded reference for anyone who gets stuck along the way.

yumex; a graphical interface to yum, that allows both package install and update.

Q: How do I install software in Fedora? (How to use yum or an RPM)
A: The easiest way to install software in Fedora is to use yum. see also: yumex.