diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 720819f4a78bc36e4d844bf5efd2a0cd61a528dd..1ad658d31d58c3b6341a61fbf5c65e2bd7609eb9 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,51 @@
+Changes between v2.9.5 and v2.9.6:
+----------------------------------
+
+Benno Schulenberg (39):
+ build: do not prefix an alternative rcfilename with a dot
+ build: fix compilation when configured with --disable-help
+ bump version numbers and add a news item for the 2.9.6 release
+ command-execution: do not crash when opening the pipe would fail
+ completion: correctly do a signed comparison, to avoid a segfault
+ files: prevent a hang when a call to sigaction() would fail
+ formatting, linting: redetermine the argument list for every run
+ gnulib: update to its current upstream state
+ memory: use a reallocation to reduce the amount of leakage
+ prompt: recognize Yes/No/All in English when the locale gives no match
+ rcfile: skip color commands where some color name is invalid
+ scrolling: don't redraw entire edit window when cursor goes offscreen
+ search: always go forward by default, also when coming from Goto-Line
+ search: use a better value to mean "nothing was typed"
+ speller: don't add an extra newline when saving the text to a tempfile
+ syntax: po: highlight also other escaped characters, not just \n
+ syntax: sh: colorize options only when they are preceded by whitespace
+ tweaks: adjust the translator hint about Yes/No/All
+ tweaks: correct or improve a couple of comments
+ tweaks: elide a function that is called just once
+ tweaks: fix a typo, remove a blank line, and improve some comments
+ tweaks: frob a couple of comments
+ tweaks: group some more of the empty functions together
+ tweaks: improve some comments, and exit with nonzero status upon error
+ tweaks: improve the ordering of a couple of functions
+ tweaks: invert two conditions and reshuffle, to reduce duplication
+ tweaks: move a function to its proper location
+ tweaks: move a function to its proper location
+ tweaks: rearrange a few if statements more symmetrically
+ tweaks: remove the group handling for undoing/redoing (un)indents
+ tweaks: rename a function, to be more distinct from its caller
+ tweaks: rename a function, to be more fitting and descriptive
+ tweaks: rename a variable, for clarity
+ tweaks: rename a variable, to be a bit more fitting
+ tweaks: rename a variable, to be more clear and to match another
+ tweaks: rename a variable, to match another and to be more visible
+ tweaks: reshuffle two declarations
+ tweaks: set the correct flags just once for each spell-fixing session
+ tweaks: use meaningful names instead of puzzling values
+
+Liu Hao (1):
+ replacing: always clear the backwards flag for ^\, just like for ^W
+
+
Changes between v2.9.4 and v2.9.5:
----------------------------------
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index ad5427ad5e723d3609ac5406a09e69e12a13c69c..29dab706d6d4906e3aa150d374e90d9e44467fed 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2018.04.27 - GNU nano 2.9.6 "Gomance" fixes a crash in word completion,
+ makes --enable-altrcname work again, improves the fluidity
+ of scrolling when using the touchpad, tweaks the syntaxes
+ for shell scripts and PO files, makes a replacing session
+ go always forward by default, no longer inserts a newline
+ after an external spell check of a selected region, always
+ accepts the English Y and N (and A) at a yes-no prompt in
+ any locale, and solves a few hypothetical bugs.
+
2018.03.29 - GNU nano 2.9.5 "Kiša pada" changes the way the Scroll-Up
and Scroll-Down commands work (M-- and M-+): instead of
keeping the cursor in the same screen position they now
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e74eae1604d97a900c360634b7e5b2ca8b45a2d0..435756eec72bbb56afd11c602fa25f373d464dd5 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.
-AC_INIT([GNU nano], [2.9.5], [nano-devel@gnu.org], [nano])
+AC_INIT([GNU nano], [2.9.6], [nano-devel@gnu.org], [nano])
AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/nano.c])
AC_CANONICAL_HOST
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.14])
diff --git a/doc/faq.html b/doc/faq.html
index 6bbcc9d8745e4519ea00ba6b3dbf3071b475ed42..ed5b510f54c52484e906461d3efbc6b1ce3a15f1 100644
--- a/doc/faq.html
+++ b/doc/faq.html
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@
<h3><a name="1.3"></a>1.3. Why the name change from TIP?</h3>
<blockquote><p>On January 10, 2000, TIP was officially renamed to nano because of a namespace conflict with another program called 'tip'. The original 'tip' program "establishes a full duplex terminal connection to a remote host", and was included with many older Unix systems (and newer ones like Solaris). The conflict was not noticed at first because there is no 'tip' utility included with most GNU/Linux distributions (where nano was developed).</p></blockquote>
<h3><a name="1.4"></a>1.4. What is the current version of nano?</h3>
-<blockquote><p>The current version of nano <i>should</i> be <b>2.9.5</b>. Of course, you should always check the <a href="https://nano-editor.org/">nano homepage</a> to see what the latest and greatest version is.</p></blockquote>
+<blockquote><p>The current version of nano <i>should</i> be <b>2.9.6</b>. Of course, you should always check the <a href="https://nano-editor.org/">nano homepage</a> to see what the latest and greatest version is.</p></blockquote>
<h3><a name="1.5"></a>1.5. I want to read the man page without having to download the program!</h3>
<blockquote><p>Jeez, demanding, aren't we? Okay, look <a href="https://nano-editor.org/dist/latest/nano.1.html">here</a>.</p></blockquote>
<hr width="100%">
diff --git a/doc/nano.1 b/doc/nano.1
index f25a07ef8b5e285502a4e5dc2c2d83ec064e5d49..bf8ff87155c3ffd8c9d89a48a14645e4c3650fde 100644
--- a/doc/nano.1
+++ b/doc/nano.1
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
.\" Documentation License along with this program. If not, see
.\" <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
.\"
-.TH NANO 1 "version 2.9.5" "March 2018"
+.TH NANO 1 "version 2.9.6" "April 2018"
.SH NAME
nano \- Nano's ANOther editor, an enhanced free Pico clone
diff --git a/doc/nano.texi b/doc/nano.texi
index c73cedbb0857be774486fc85d843ca41f838e16b..03c7afb8e06aa8478fa49a9536faf468fe26f682 100644
--- a/doc/nano.texi
+++ b/doc/nano.texi
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
@smallbook
@set EDITION 0.5
-@set VERSION 2.9.5
-@set UPDATED March 2018
+@set VERSION 2.9.6
+@set UPDATED April 2018
@dircategory Editors
@direntry
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
@titlepage
@title GNU @command{nano}
@subtitle a small and friendly text editor
-@subtitle version 2.9.5
+@subtitle version 2.9.6
@author Chris Allegretta
@page
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ e-mail: @email{chrisa@@asty.org}@*
@node Top
@top
-This manual documents the GNU @command{nano} editor, version 2.9.5.
+This manual documents the GNU @command{nano} editor, version 2.9.6.
@menu
* Introduction::
diff --git a/doc/nanorc.5 b/doc/nanorc.5
index 68804b10d2d0dbdb5a7d8bd5738e92e00aa3b7e2..6a931f9667188bca139e191ac276d16694a70319 100644
--- a/doc/nanorc.5
+++ b/doc/nanorc.5
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
.\" Documentation License along with this program. If not, see
.\" <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
.\"
-.TH NANORC 5 "version 2.9.5" "March 2018"
+.TH NANORC 5 "version 2.9.6" "April 2018"
.SH NAME
nanorc \- GNU nano's configuration file
diff --git a/doc/rnano.1 b/doc/rnano.1
index 0dffb63f6120e9b504e7755263a9fa0d8339d4ef..7a09f814ad2e3b4ff27cfdefc358cd7cc3059945 100644
--- a/doc/rnano.1
+++ b/doc/rnano.1
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
.\" Documentation License along with this program. If not, see
.\" <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
.\"
-.TH RNANO 1 "version 2.9.5" "March 2018"
+.TH RNANO 1 "version 2.9.6" "April 2018"
.SH NAME
rnano \- a restricted nano