"There are browsers and operating systems, mobile platforms,
development tools, productivity applications, IT administration
tools, collaboration software and a few hard-to-classify items.
Some of these you've heard of; others may be relatively obscure but
should give you the wriggly "Oooh, cool!" sense of discovery.
"You're sure to feel that one or two really important upcoming
releases are missing. (You try paring the list down to a couple
dozen candidates!) But the FOSS community spirit can serve here
too. Please add your nominations for can't-miss open-source
releases of 2009 to the article comments, including links to the
project sites, and we'll all benefit."