I am really struggling to figure out what this is or how it provides value.
Edit:
This discussion isn't exactly what I was hoping for. I was looking for ways to better highlight the features or value proposition of this site. Not defenestrate it altogether.
E.g.: A simple modal that says "Welcome to SQLite Online! You can <core value proposition> with this tool." would have radically altered my initial perception.
For me: Try queries without the hassle of setting up a database. Learn SQL. Experiment. Etc.
I don't understand the people trying to convince others that this tool is useless by saying "just do it this way, duh!". It is useful, even from a rapid glimpse at the website.
Be kind and sensible.
The just-use-rsync line of thinking doesn't go away https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224
I'm at the point where I know exactly what comment that is because of the comment ID of 9224. Don't even need to mention rsync, Dropbox, or anything else.
> For me: Try queries without the hassle of setting up a database.
That's the whole "database setup" in case of SQLite.This method is not available on all devices and does not support sharing or collaboration.
The website, however, works on any platform and allows working together in a single shared database.
how does collaboration works for SQLite, since the db is embedded?
When you upload a database to the site, it is stored in your browser's memory or uses OpFS — a local storage within your browser.
You can share a link to grant access to your database, with the connection handled via P2P through WebRTC.
Uhm, by allowing multiple people to connect to the same database through a webapp like this?
you can just share the file, huh
collaboration sounds nice though, it definitely has a market considering 11k daily users.
If the database is loaded from an external source (as shown in the examples), using the "Share Script" feature automatically attaches a link to the database. The link allows both the database and the script to be accessed and loaded.
> This method is not available on all devices and does not support sharing or collaboration.
The parent cites "hassle of creating the database" and does not mention sharing or collaborating. I showed that it doesn't get more hassle-free than this and doesn't even require connectivity (which might be a problem "on some devices" or "in some locations").
> doesn't even require connectivity (which might be a problem "on some devices" or "in some locations").
You are just trying to prove a point instead of understanding it.
> "hassle of creating the database" and does not mention sharing or collaborating.
He might just have summarized everything as "hassle of creating the database".
Not everything on internet is supposed to be a debate with highly and carefully developped wording.
> You are just trying to prove a point instead of understanding it.
> He might just have summarized everything as "hassle of creating the database".
You are also making an assumption, though. That person might not have known "sqlite3 mydb.db" is all you need to create a sqlite database.
It was just one item in a list and they used "etc." which prob refers to all the other obvious upsides, like why you would use pgadmin/postico to write postgres queries instead of psql cli.
So to double down on that one detail as if it were a load bearing remark comes off as trying to win a point.
If `sqlite3 test.db` launched a rich UI with tabs and such, then maybe they'd be onto something, but it does not.
Implicit assumptions: You know what a CLI is, you have one on your system, and how to install the sqlite3 binary somehow.
When I just started out with linux I was so frustrated with people just listing reams of commands, or files I needed to edit without stating I needed to look in /etc
I had the same reaction, why not just use the command line interface?
From there, I guess the value this adds is:
1. There is a UI, i.e. it has some autocomplete of sql syntax and it shows tables in a ... tabular format.
2. As others have mentioned, there are sharing features. Yes you could share a .db file, but with this you can also send a link viewable in a browser, with specific queries, etc.
#1 reminds me of MS Access from back in the day. Those were sql dbs underneath, but they had some interfaces to show you how to build queries. It wasn't a bad way to dip your toes into the basics of sql.
How do I get this sqlite3 command to work on my Chromebook? When I type this in on my Windows machine it's not working either. Are there other steps I need to take first?
On your Chromebook, load the Linux subsystem, which you can find in settings.
It will give you a shell that will have SQLite.
For Windows, download the interactive command line tool from sqlite.org.
As a developer, on your development machine, if you use sqlite even infrequently, then no.
Anyone else, probably, but then why would you use this tool if you have no need for sqlite?
>my Chromebook
LOL
>my Windows
If you're the kind of person who even knows what SQL, SQLite or hell even a database is, you already know SQLite runs on pretty much anything.
Why would you assume that's the kind of person you're responding to? Their question alone leads me to believe it's exactly not that kind of person.
Where do I type that in on my iPad?
Some people might not have computers but still want to learn?
Pay for one of the many SQLite Apps on the App Store, like Jobs intended?
I think someone forgot what made the web the most popular platform in the world.
It's clear that the tool is highly useful to the people who use it.
That being said, I feel like I'm dumped into the playground without understanding what I am playing with. A few short paragraphs, examples, screenshots, explanations, ect, would go very far.
Yes, we plan to add starter tips with explanations of their purpose.
> You can <core value proposition>
It may be difficult to briefly describe all the website’s capabilities right now, but the key features include:
If you want your points to appear in different lines in HN, use two backspaces :)
Thank you
As an educator I would've loved to have this last time I was teaching SQL.
1: No install
2: Ephermal (just reload if you've messed up?)
3: Good syntax highlighting
4: Visual UI to navigate the model
Why to pay for it though? That's a harder nut to crack, the UI is quite nice compared to many I've seen so maybe sell as an addon for those that provider hosted databases, collaborative spaces or as a desktop app. No obvious slam dunks though.
Agree with your edit saying that there should be a landing message that gives a quick overview. But with in a few moments I was able to see that you can create a database and then start inserting tables/records into it. Seems like a pretty good tool to learn how to create and manage a database without the hassle of having to download sqlite and start testing commands that might be new to you in the CLI
Yup, I think it would be a big help if the home page ('/') was a landing page explaining who it's for and why, and why. Is this for students? For prototyping? For quick analysis? Sample data? Importing real data? Use cases are key.
And then have a big hero button leading to the the actual tool ('/app' or '/playground' or whatever). Maybe preloaded with different sample data depending on the use case.
Right now, being dumped into a complicated interface with zero explanation is very confusing. (None of this is to criticize the project itself, just to help identify it to the people who might find the most value in it!)
Can’t people decide themselves what it’s for?
No?
I don't have the time to spend 10 minutes getting to know a product's features to try to figure out what it might be for.
Just tell me what it's for.
I mean, it's great if people can figure out other uses for it too. If they want to use it in a new way, awesome -- don't get me wrong. But products are generally built with specific purposes in mind. So don't hide those.
Thank you for your feedback. The idea was to make the product understandable without additional explanations, but it seems I didn’t achieve that. I have a lot to improve.
I would have loved this 25-years ago during university.
Would have made homework (and just learning) significantly easier.
At first I thought that was about SQLite development itself