[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIK5kR3eLrg]YouTube - Whats New In Cydia On iOS 4.2.1 BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER - iOS Vlog 214[/ame]

Although the iOS 4.2.1 Jailbreak only supports the newer devices tethered, that doesn't mean Cydia is a left in the dust. Oh no, the new Cydia update is quite a speedster. Much faster than previous versions, loads of bug fixes and what not. Full list of changes down below thanks to ModMyi.

-reduced loading changes time
-section remapping optimizations
-faster reloading data
-faster, native search
-uses public SDK classes whenever possible
-rewritten, faster web views with zooming support
-changes badge works again
-more stable webviews (no crashes when queueing)
-redesigned settings page
-redesigned stashing page
-faster scrolling of table views
-bug fixes
-ads no longer break the package views until restart
-much better queueing UI
-stabler refreshing bar

iPad improvements:
- landscape
- popovesr
- modal views that cover only a portion of the screen
- less annoying errors with bad internet connections downloading packages
- updated section mappings, less typo'd sections

newbie question: Do I have to jailbreak to install Cydia?

TIA

Most definitely.

Good.