Dear MonetDB users and developers, The preparations for the March 2011 release are on target. This release will feature a much simplified installation and compilation process using a unified bootstrap/configure/make/install. Ofcourse, installers and RPMs are also provided. Furthermore, the March 2011 release will be the freeze of the MonetDB XQuery source tree. It will remain downloadable from the website, but no active development or maintenance is foreseen. In April 2011 a MonetDB/SQL feature release will mark the split of the two code bases. From that point onward, we will primarily be concerned with SQL and its enhancements. Saying goodbye to the very old mserver4 code base, also triggered a major code renovation activity. The MonetDB/SQL code base will be cleaned from legacy code, 1-time experimental code, and all that is not strictly needed for the intended functionality. We expect that this cleanup will simplify maintenance in the future. The results of the renovation step will become visible in the fall of 2011. We plan for a smooth transition step for existing SQL environments. However, under the hood, we will change the MAL and kernel library interfaces significantly. To assess the consequences in the community we would like to learn about projects that directly address the MAL or GDK layer. Please send us an email at info@monetdb.org with the project highlights. regards, Martin Kersten