HACKER Q&A
📣 anonymaskhn

announcing an ambitious Internet open source project?


I'm building a replacement for a widely used Internet application that causes most of its users substantial suffering. (Apologies for not saying more; that would make this a de facto announcement.)

The project is ready for evaluation by the Internet community, but not yet production use. It needs open source contributors and constructive critique.

I've been working on it solo for >2y, and have circulated a handful of releases to a few friends.

It hasn't yet been publicly announced. How can I publicize this?

  👤 ecesena Accepted Answer ✓
In 2y, when your project will be successful, how successful the launch is will be irrelevant.

Write a blog post, short, with the key things that will make it evergreen. Use good keywords in the title.

Then don’t worry to much about a big launch, just share it on the socials you use. Over preparing can just set you up for disappointment.

👤 wsh
One place for an announcement would be “Show HN,” if your project fits within the guidelines [1], but I think what you announce is as important as where.

For example, how does your software compare, from a user’s perspective, to existing alternatives? What parts of it exist today, and how much work remains? Are you credibly in a position to deliver?

Your announcement needs to communicate your progress, competence, and realistic plans, or readers will tend to assume your project, like many, is so much vaporware.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html

👤 thiago_fm
If it's open source and ambitious I can't see why you would like to keep it closed like this for so long. Looks a bit megalomaniac.

Just create a show HN and we'll judge. :-)

👤 arleny
If it's not ready for evaluation then HN is probably your best bet since it would stay within the circle of devs. Twitter/Reddit/FB won't get you the open source contributors and critique you're looking for.
👤 cpach
HN, Twitter. I’m not sure I would bother with Reddit these days. There are probably relevant Facebook groups. Maybe write a blog post that people can link to.