Yum updates, cyber goats or Ximian?

[Takemoto]

Thank you all for the high powered advice on this list

There I was thinking "Linux is easy," basking in the free lunch of 
Redhat's up2date service. One click and I got all my "rpms" 
without knowing what rpm stood for. 

Then along came "EOL" (death in other words?) and, even with 
everyone's kind advice, I feel as if I am in this (recommended)
http://www.heinemann.es/MEDIA/switchlinux3.swf

My Redhat 9 server still runs but, cyber goats!
The prospect of updating it seems so complicated. 

I have a Redhat refugee aquaitance that recommends 
http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/update.html
or even
http://www.suse.com/
Anything wrong with going down that path? Is it apt?

Yum yum?

Tim