gcc upgrade

Hi,
I'm a linux newbie, I'm using Red Hat linux 7.2 and I have gcc 2.96 installed from rpms, and I would like to upgrade, does anyone know how can I do this without screwing up all the system?
I hope you can help me.
Best Regards,
Simao Mata

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!! (arms flailing erratically, "Lost in Space" style)

I wouldn't do this, unless you have a very, very good reason to. Upgrade only if the upgrade has absolutely critical functionality.

If you insist on upgrading, I'd go from the RPMs available on ftp://updates.redhat.com, they have a far greater chance of not wacking your system into oblivion, especially if you're just figuring out linux.

hurd: why would you like to upgrade? Are you sure you would like it anyway? gcc is one of perhaps four things with which you shouldn't mess around without really good reasons (the others are the glibc, the kernel and X).

Gotta agree with realnowhereman and Hero Zzyzzx, gcc is not something to mess around with unless it's your only option. In my experience, it's pretty much the hardest thing there is to upgrade, worse than the kernel, glibc, or X.

It's also worth pointing out that a lot of the more recent gcc releases are buggy, so you may want to use caution in choosing which version you upgrade to.

If ugrade is absolutely needed, as Hero Zzyzzx said, do it with an RPM from RedHat if at all possible.