For our October “Staff Pick” Project of the Month, we selected SQuirreL SQL Client, a Java SQL client for any JDBC compliant database. Gerd Wagner, current maintainer of SQuirreL SQL shared some thoughts about the project’s history, purpose, and direction.
SourceForge (SF): Tell me about the SQuirreL SQL Client project please.
Gerd Wagner (GW): SQuirrel SQL is an SQL client that can connect any database which has a JDBC driver. Some of its features are:
– SQL code completion
– SQL Syntax highlighting
– Lots of SQL editor functions
– Lots of scripting and export functions
– Query builder
– Charts
– Lots of database product specific plugins
SQuirreL was started in 2001 and is still under development.
SF: What made you start this?
GW: I didn’t start the project Colin Bell did. I joined in 2003. I’m a Java developer and wanted to increase my Java skills. This worked out. Of course I’m also flattered by about 8000 weekly downloads.
SF: Who can benefit the most from your project?
GW: It’s probably most useful for programmers that work with relational databases like me. But I also know of several database admins and other people who work with SQL that use SQuirreL.
SF: What has your project team done to help build and nurture your community?
GW: Useful features and regular releases are of importance I think.
SF: Have you all found that more frequent releases helps build up your community of users?
GW: We never much changed the release cycle so I can’t tell.
SF: What was the first big thing that happened for your project?
GW: The launch of the JavaFX version of SQuirreL.
SF: What made that happen?
GW: JDK 1.8, JavaFX and my interest in both.
SF: How has SourceForge and its tools helped your project reach that success?
GW: It provides all the infrastructure. There would be rarely any user without it.
SF: What is the next big thing for SQuirreL?
GW: The first release of the JavaFX version of SQuirreL. Up to now only snapshots were released.
SF: How long do you think that will take?
GW: One or two years perhaps.
SF: Do you have the resources you need to make that happen?
GW: It’s already being developed for more than two years and is making progress. So yes.
Of course contributors are always welcome.
SF: If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently for SQuirreL SQL?
GW: Nothing.
SF: Is there anything else we should know?
GW: Thanks for the good infrastructure and go on.
Will SQLeo be the staff choice for november 🙂