Dialup dilemma

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I was a satisfied linux user until the trend toward releasing not-quite-ready distros ... under the assumtion that users can update via broadband. A few vendors did/do sell updates media off/on, but they're not a reliable source over the life of a version.

Broadband isn't an option where I live, nor do I expect it will be. So, that leaves public WiFi hotspots, using a laptop to do the downloads. I haven't done a thorough Google search, but it appears something like this would work with Fedora/yum:

1. Use yum on desktop/dialup to get a list of updates available.
2. Massage the list with awk to get a download list.
3. Download the files with the laptop via wifi.
4. Tranfer files to desktop and run createrepo.
5. Update.

Comments? Suggestions of an easier way to do it?

Note: It doesn't have to be Fedora, but I prefer distros that allow custom installs of only what I want. Also, distros that don't delete previous version packages when they're updated.