[systems]

well its trade off , its easier to read, maybe a bit harder to write

also remember that sql is a query language not a programming language, so the main target are not programmers

also think of it this way, it might help, you start with that you really want

  select firstname, lastname, hobby 

so you start by saying you want a table (a relation, a relvar) that have first name , last name etc ... this is what you want then you tell me where to get it from

  from users 

so the order is not bad , it like saying, get me a a drink from the box you wont say, from the box get me a drink

select first resembles more natural language, and is more declarative

from first, is more procedural

what i want first, then how --> declarative

how to find what i want, then what i really want --> procedural

[wodenokoto]

If I start deciding on my with the table, my query editor can tell me what I can select. I've never seen a query editor that looks at the select table and suggests tables based on that.