Neo4j version 1.9 M01 introduces a new high availability (HA) setup that simplifies the process of maintaining a cluster, with members communicating directly with each other using the Paxos consensus protocol for master election. This setup is currently available for evaluation and feedback purposes only and should not be used in production until Neo4j 1.9.GA. Additionally, Cypher has been enhanced with new features such as pattern matching, the WITH SKIP/LIMIT/ORDER BY clause, and a reduce operation that allows aggregating data into a single value. These changes were contributed by community members, including Wes Freeman, who added various features and fixed inconsistencies in the language. The release includes updated documentation and is available for early access to HA with simplified operations.