Parton distributions: a study of the new HERA data, $α_s$, the gluon and $p\bar p$ jet production

New data, especially HERA measurements of the proton structure function at small $x$, allow the opportunity to improve our knowledge of the gluon and quark distribution functions. We perform a global analysis which incorporates these new precise data, and which extends down to $Q^2 = 1.5\; GeV^2$. We discuss the sensitivity to the value of $\alpha_s$ and the improvement in the determination of the gluon. We compare the predictions of the single jet inclusive cross section with recent measurements from the Fermilab Tevatron.