diff --git a/.ci/install-deps.sh b/.ci/install-deps.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..ddc25262
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.ci/install-deps.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then
+  brew install --c++11 \
+    pkg-config \
+    aften \
+    libsamplerate \
+    libsndfile \
+    opus \
+    readline \
+    doxygen
+  # force installation of gcc-6 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-6" ]; then
+    brew install gcc@6
+  fi
+  # force installation of gcc-7 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-7" ]; then
+    brew install gcc@7
+  fi
+  # force installation of gcc-8 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-8" ]; then
+    brew install gcc@8
+  fi
+fi
+
+if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]; then
+  # autotools, automake, make are present in the trusty image
+  sudo apt-get install -y \
+    doxygen \
+    libffado-dev \
+    libsamplerate-dev \
+    libsndfile-dev \
+    libasound2-dev \
+    libdb-dev \
+    systemd-services \
+    systemd \
+    libsystemd-journal-dev \
+    libsystemd-login-dev \
+    libsystemd-id128-dev \
+    libsystemd-daemon-dev \
+    libpam-systemd \
+    libdbus-1-dev \
+    libeigen3-dev \
+    libopus-dev \
+    portaudio19-dev
+  # force installation of gcc-6 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-6" ]; then
+    sudo apt-get install gcc-6 g++-6
+  fi
+  # force installation of gcc-7 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-7" ]; then
+    sudo apt-get install gcc-7 g++-7
+  fi
+  # force installation of gcc-8 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "gcc-8" ]; then
+    sudo apt-get install gcc-8 g++-8
+  fi
+  # force installation of clang-3.8 if required
+  if [ "${CC}" == "clang-3.8" ]; then
+    sudo apt-get install clang-3.8
+  fi
+fi
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 103729fd..f9fb96f6 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,34 +1,115 @@
-sudo: false
-os:
-    - osx
-    - linux
 language:
     - cpp
-compiler:
-    - gcc
-    - clang
-addons:
-    apt:
-        packages:
-            - libsamplerate-dev
-            - libsndfile-dev
-            - libasound2-dev
+sudo: required
+
+matrix:
+  include:
+    # linux with gcc 8
+    - os: linux
+      addons:
+        apt:
+          sources:
+            - ubuntu-toolchain-r-test
+          install:
+            - gcc-8
+      dist: trusty
+      env:
+        - MATRIX_EVAL="CC=gcc-8 CXX=g++-8"
+      compiler: gcc
+    # linux with gcc 7
+    - os: linux
+      addons:
+        apt:
+          sources:
+            - ubuntu-toolchain-r-test
+          install:
+            - gcc-7
+      dist: trusty
+      env:
+        - MATRIX_EVAL="CC=gcc-7 CXX=g++-7"
+      compiler: gcc
+    # linux with gcc 6
+    - os: linux
+      addons:
+        apt:
+          sources:
+            - ubuntu-toolchain-r-test
+          install:
+            - gcc-6
+      dist: trusty
+      env:
+        - MATRIX_EVAL="CC=gcc-6 CXX=g++-6"
+      compiler: gcc
+    # linux with gcc default (4.8)
+    - os: linux
+      dist: trusty
+      compiler: gcc
+    # linux with clang default (3.5)
+    - os: linux
+      dist: trusty
+      compiler: clang
+    # linux with clang 3.8
+    - os: linux
+      addons:
+        apt:
+          sources:
+            - ubuntu-toolchain-r-test
+          install:
+            - clang-3.8
+      dist: trusty
+      env:
+        - MATRIX_EVAL="CC=clang-3.8 CXX=clang++-3.8"
+      compiler: clang
+    # osx with xcode8.3/clang
+    - os: osx
+      osx_image: xcode8.3
+      compiler: clang
+    # osx with xcode9.2/clang
+    - os: osx
+      osx_image: xcode9.2
+      compiler: clang
+    # osx with xcode10.0/clang
+    - os: osx
+      osx_image: xcode10
+      compiler: clang
+    # osx with xcode10.1/clang
+    - os: osx
+      osx_image: xcode10.1
+      compiler: clang
+    # osx with xcode/clang (default)
+    - os: osx
+      compiler: clang
 
 before_install:
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew update; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew outdated pkg-config || brew upgrade pkg-config; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew install aften; fi 
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew install libsamplerate; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew install libsndfile; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew install opus; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then brew install readline; fi
+  - eval "${MATRIX_EVAL}"
+    # uninstalling oclint, as it's preinstalled and conflicts with all versions of gcc
+  - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then
+    brew cask uninstall oclint || true
+    brew update;
+    fi
+  - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]]; then sudo apt-get -qq update; fi
+
+install:
+  - ./.ci/install-deps.sh
+
+before_script:
+  - if [[ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]]; then export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig; fi
 
 script:
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]; then ./waf configure --alsa; fi
-    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then ./waf configure --opus=no --readline=no; fi
-    - ./waf build
+    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "linux" ]; then
+        ./waf configure --prefix=/usr --alsa --classic --dbus;
+        ./waf -v build;
+      fi
+    - if [ "$TRAVIS_OS_NAME" == "osx" ]; then
+        CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS} -flax-vector-conversions" ./waf configure;
+        CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS} -flax-vector-conversions" ./waf -v build;
+      fi
+    - sudo ./waf -v install
 
-matrix:
-    exclude:
-        - os: osx
-          compiler: gcc
+branches:
+  only:
+    - /.*/
+
+notifications:
+  email: false
+# vim:set ts=2 sw=2 et:
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ca3c4ecf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+`JACK2 <http://jackaudio.org/>`_
+################################
+
+.. image:: https://travis-ci.org/jackaudio/jack2.svg?branch=master
+   :target: https://travis-ci.org/jackaudio/jack2
+
+JACK2 aka jackdmp is a C++ version of the JACK low-latency audio server for
+multi-processor machines. It is a new implementation of the JACK server core
+features that aims in removing some limitations of the JACK1 design. The
+activation system has been changed for a data flow model and lock-free
+programming techniques for graph access have been used to have a more dynamic
+and robust system.
+
+- uses a new client activation model, that allows simultaneous client
+  execution (on a SMP machine) when parallel clients exist in the graph (client
+  that have the same inputs). This activation model allows to better use
+  available CPU on a smp machine, but also works on mono-processor machine.
+
+- uses a lock-free way to access (read/write) the client graph, thus
+  allowing connections/disconnection to be done without interrupting the audio
+  stream. The result is that connections/disconnections are glitch-free.
+
+- can work in two different modes at the server level:
+
+  - *synchronous activation*: in a given cycle, the server waits for all
+    clients to be finished (similar to normal jackd)
+
+  - *asynchronous activation*: in a given cycle, the server does not wait for
+    all clients to be finished and use output buffer computed the previous
+    cycle.
+    The audible result of this mode is that if a client is not activated
+    during one cycle, other clients may still run and the resulting audio
+    stream will still be produced (even if its partial in some way). This
+    mode usually result in fewer (less audible) audio glitches in a loaded
+    system.
+