new file mode 100755
--- /dev/null
+++ b/version.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0.  If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+#
+# Copyright 1997 - July 2008 CWI, August 2008 - 2016 MonetDB B.V.
+
+if [[ -z $1 ]] ; then
+	echo "Usage: $0 [-w] <(jdbc|mcl)> <(major|minor|suffix)=newversion> [...]"
+	echo "where -w activates actual write of changes"
+	exit -1
+fi
+
+PROPERTIES='build.properties'
+
+get_value() {
+	local tmp=$(grep -E "^$*=" ${PROPERTIES})
+	echo ${tmp#*=}
+}
+
+escape_value() {
+	echo "$*" | sed -e 's/\*/\\*/g' -e 's/\./\\./g'
+}
+
+patch="cat"
+
+# get rid of the script name
+case $1 in
+	-w)
+		patch="patch -p0";
+		shift
+		;;
+esac
+case $1 in
+	jdbc)
+		TYPE=JDBC
+		FILES="monetdb-jdbc-XXX.jar"
+		;;
+	mcl)
+		TYPE=MCL
+		FILES="monetdb-mcl-XXX.jar"
+		;;
+	*)
+		echo "invalid type: $1"
+		exit -1
+		;;
+esac
+shift
+
+CUR_MAJOR=$(eval "get_value '${TYPE}_MAJOR'")
+CUR_MINOR=$(eval "get_value '${TYPE}_MINOR'")
+CUR_SUFFIX=$(eval "get_value '${TYPE}_VER_SUFFIX'")
+
+NEW_MAJOR=${CUR_MAJOR}
+NEW_MINOR=${CUR_MINOR}
+NEW_SUFFIX=${CUR_SUFFIX}
+
+ESC_MAJOR=$(escape_value ${CUR_MAJOR})
+ESC_MINOR=$(escape_value ${CUR_MINOR})
+ESC_SUFFIX=$(escape_value ${CUR_SUFFIX})
+
+for param in $* ; do
+	arg=${param%%=*}
+	val=${param#*=}
+	num=$(echo ${val} | grep -E '[0-9]+' -o | head -n1)
+	case ${arg} in
+	major)
+		if [[ -z ${num} ]] ; then
+			echo "major needs a numeric argument!";
+			exit -1
+		fi
+		NEW_MAJOR=${num}
+		;;
+	minor)
+		if [[ -z ${num} ]] ; then
+			echo "minor needs a numeric argument!";
+			exit -1
+		fi
+		NEW_MINOR=${num}
+		;;
+	suffix)
+		NEW_SUFFIX=${val}
+		;;
+	esac
+done
+
+echo "Current version: ${CUR_MAJOR}.${CUR_MINOR} (${CUR_SUFFIX})"
+echo "New version:     ${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR} (${NEW_SUFFIX})"
+
+diff="diff -Naur"
+
+file="release.txt"
+sed \
+	-e "s|version ${ESC_MAJOR}\.${ESC_MINOR} (${ESC_SUFFIX}|version ${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR} \(${NEW_SUFFIX}|g" \
+	-e "s|${TYPE}-${ESC_MAJOR}\.${ESC_MINOR}|${TYPE}-${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}|g" \
+	-e "s|Release date: 20[0-9][0-9]-[01][0-9]-[0-3][0-9]|Release date: `date +%F`|" \
+	${file} | ${diff} ${file} - | ${patch}
+
+for file in \
+	Makefile.ag \
+	; do
+	if [[ -f ${file} ]] ; then
+		for f in $FILES ; do
+			fr=${f//XXX/${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}}
+			fo=${f//XXX/${ESC_MAJOR}.${ESC_MINOR}}
+			fo=${fo//./\\.}
+			sed -e "s|${fo}|${fr}|g" \
+				${file} | ${diff} ${file} - | ${patch}
+		done
+	else
+		echo "Please do not forget to patch file '${file##*../}', too."
+	fi
+done
+
+file="build.properties"
+sed \
+	-e "s|${TYPE}_MAJOR=${ESC_MAJOR}|${TYPE}_MAJOR=${NEW_MAJOR}|g" \
+	-e "s|${TYPE}_MINOR=${ESC_MINOR}|${TYPE}_MINOR=${NEW_MINOR}|g" \
+	-e "s|${TYPE}_VER_SUFFIX=${ESC_SUFFIX}|${TYPE}_VER_SUFFIX=${NEW_SUFFIX}|g" \
+	${file} | ${diff} ${file} - | ${patch}
+
+file="pom.xml"
+sed \
+	-e "s|<version>${ESC_MAJOR}\.${ESC_MINOR}</version>|<version>${NEW_MAJOR}.${NEW_MINOR}</version>|g" \
+	${file} | ${diff} ${file} - | ${patch}