For Ubuntu users, there is a new ppa maintained by
Matt Corallo which you can add to your system so that it will automatically keep bitcoin up-to-date. Just type "sudo apt-add-repository ppa:bitcoin/bitcoin" in your terminal, then install the bitcoin-qt package.
For those interested in this, please note that currently the ppa directs you to an outdated version. Specifically, version 0.3.24
no it's not, just add the posted ppa and "apt-get update". I installed from there with no issues. All the dependencies too