diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index b1caf313..1257548a 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2009-07-11  Joerg Wunsch <j.gnu@uriah.heep.sax.de>
+
+	* configure.ac: Prepare for releasing version 5.8
+
 2009-07-11  Joerg Wunsch <j.gnu@uriah.heep.sax.de>
 
 	Submitted by Roger Wolff:
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 399a8106..bb0c68bc 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -5,12 +5,10 @@ Approximate change log for AVRDUDE by version.
 (For more detailed changes, see the ChangeLog file.)
 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-Current:
-
-  * New devices supported:
-
-  * New programmers supported:
+Version 5.8:
 
+  * Bugfixes; most importantly, fix a serious memory corruption for
+    that JTAG ICE mkII and AVR Dragon in ISP/HVSP/PP mode.
 
 Version 5.7:
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d082c95d..1fe1900f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 # Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
 AC_PREREQ(2.57)
-AC_INIT(avrdude, 5.8cvs, avrdude-dev@nongnu.org)
+AC_INIT(avrdude, 5.8, avrdude-dev@nongnu.org)
 
 AC_CANONICAL_BUILD
 AC_CANONICAL_HOST