gnome is about the most complicated thing to build on any *nix there is, Pat V. of Slackware fame discontinued including gnome, even the Linux kernel author bad-mouthed gnome. I would suggest using a distro with gnome already included in it(ubuntu just released yesterday, Fedora release will soon) a newer version wont be any better than the one you have now (years of experience)...
now i must run and hide before the gnome fanboys come to attack me for my comment