[tkot]

>As much as SQL could be better, it's a very strong local optimum

I mostly agree, though I think that SQL's popularity comes mostly from network effects.

> Yeah and what's wrong with that?

Nothing is wrong wrong with that. I just think that it's reasonable to interpret the words "programming in the large" as "being usable as general purpose programming language" (which I admit is not a very strict definition) whereas SQL (or XSLT or awk or bash...) seem well suited for certain niches (important niches nonetheless).