I'm currently working on an open source project. Here is what I've learned. 1. There are two kinds of OSS projects. Libraries/utilities aimed at programmers an

I'm currently working on an open source project. Here is what I've learned. 1. There are two kinds of OSS projects. Libraries/utilities aimed at programmers and full applications (whoever simple they may be) aimed at a specific industry/need. What you choose will depend on your personal preference and needs. In my case, I chose to do an application because it is something that is needed and not currently available (for free, and in PHP (the language I'm using)). I also use it as a personal tool ( I used it to build it ). 2. Talk to people before deciding. I love asking people about their jobs in order to find new needs. My current project was born that way. 3. Pick something simple for your first project. You want to pick something doable. A simple open source project that ships is better than a complex one that stagnates in your file system. 4. Treat it as if you were doing a paid project. Use deadlines, make compromises, and for the love of code, stick to them. I learned this the hard way. Decide and code. Rinse and repeat. Learn to live with your choices. 5. Document it at the same time you build it. This ended up being easier/faster for me. 6. Don't forget to promote it by emailing people with a link to the project and putting a link right here on HN. Good luck!