Ubuntu 9.10 is now available for download from a wealth of mirrors all over the world. As usual, the installation image fits onto a single, bootable CD that also doubles as a 'live CD' to let folks play with the free operating system without committing. Offering numerous enhancements for both desktop and server environments, this release includes a new version of the Linux kernel (2.6.31), a new version of the GNOME desktop environment (2.28), and the latest major Firefox release. Canonical has also thrown in a new instant-messaging client called Empathy, a new login manager, a more secure document viewer, a better firewall, new power-management software, revamped audio support, a "faster, simplified, better-looking boot experience," and a new Intel video driver that resolves "major performance problems" from Ubuntu 9.04.