What is best way to install MySQL 4.1?

[John Swartzentruber]

I think this is a more general question than just MySQL, so I'm asking
it here.

I am running FC3, which comes with MySQL 3.23. I would like to run a
more recent version. I tried updating to version 4.1 using yum and the
fedora-devel repository, but after downloading lots of updates and
dependencies, it still ended up with an incompatibility and didn't do
the update.

I don't want to screw up my system, but I would like to have the more
recent MySQL. What is the best way to do this?

Similarly, what are the dangers of keeping the fedora-devel repository
enabled? Once it updates things from that repository, can I go back?