COBOL also fits this description, down to the awkward attempts at matching natural language. I think the staying power of SQL comes from its broader audience -

COBOL also fits this description, down to the awkward attempts at matching natural language. I think the staying power of SQL comes from its broader audience - programmers, analysts, and executives all use it. It's much easier to motivate programmers to learn a new, superior language than it is to motivate executives to learn a new technology that only gives ergonomic improvements.