Grab your shiny Krita 2.6 release! Linux users probably know what to do. For you Windows users out there, you can grab either Krita 2.6, or Krita 2.6.8.3. : [link]

Krita 2.6.8.3 is, in fact, the work-in-progress version of Krita 2.7. So, it's possibly less stable, but also has shiny new features, such as:
- Textures can now be used for Color Smudge (and Hatching brushes) too! Is it cool? Yes it is!
- Textures are now more dynamic with a "Strength" option, which allows you to control the intensity of textures. Read more about it here: [link]
- The normal freehand drawing mode now comes with better smoothing options. Just choose "Weighted Smoothing" in tool options, adjust the settings (increase the weight), and that's it!
- Vector drawing in Krita seems to work a lot better now. Just make a vector layer, use any of the vector tools, and draw away. There's even a new freehand path tool where you can adjust settings. It seems that it will come with start and end markers options, so you'll be able to easily make arrowed lines! It doesn't seem to work yet, but it's definitely a great idea!

Well, I'm telling all this to Windows users, but it won't do you any good if it doesn't work, would it? Well, Krita 2.6.8.3 is running just fine on my Windows XP machine! So uninstall all previous versions of Krita and go grab it now! A few things:
- It takes a while to install. Don't worry, that's normal.
- It takes a while to start up, as with previous versions. Don't worry, that's normal too.
- The default setting was a bit too dark for me, you can change it in Settings -> Theme.
That's it, really. Have fun!