Your software and documentation won't do the world much good if
nobody but you knows it exists. Also, developing a visible presence for
the project on the Internet will assist you in recruiting users and
co-developers. Here are the standard ways to do that.
Announce new releases to comp.os.linux.announce. Besides being widely read itself,
this group is a major feeder for web-based what's-new sites like
Freshmeat.
Find USENET topics group directly relevant to your application,
and announce there as well. Post only where the
function of the code is relevant, and exercise
restraint.
If (for example) you are releasing a program written in Perl that queries
IMAP servers, you should certainly post to comp.mail.imap. But you
should probably not post to comp.lang.perl unless the program is also
an instructive example of cutting-edge Perl techniques.
Your announcement should include the URL of a project website.
If you intend try to build any substantial user or developer community
around your project, it should have a website. Standard things to have
on the website include:
The project charter (why it exists, who the audience is, etc).
Download links for the project sources.
Instructions on how to join the project mailing list(s).
A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list.
HTMLized versions of the project documentation
Links to related and/or competing projects.
Some project sites even have URLs for anonymous access to the master
source tree.
It's standard practice to have a private development list
through which project collaborators can communicate and exchange
patches. You may also want to have an announcements list for people
who want to be kept informed of the project's process.
If you are running a project named `foo'.
your developer list might be foo-dev or foo-friends; your announcement
list might be foo-announce.
For the last several years, the Metalab archive has
been the most important interchange location for Linux software.
Since it was launched in fall 1999,
SourceForge has exploded
in popularity. It is not just an archive and distribution site, though
you can use it that way. It is an entire free project-hosting service that
tries to offer a complete set of tools for open-source development groups --
web and archive space, mailing lists, bug-tracking, chat forums, CVS
repositories, and other services.
Other important locations include:
the Python Software Activity
site (for software written in Python).
the CPAN, the
Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, (for software written in Perl).
Take our 
