That's one reason. The reason why they need it for third-party applications is because that's what developers targeted, for two reasons: 1. It was the only ga

That's one reason. The reason why they need it for third-party applications is because that's what developers targeted, for two reasons: 1. It was the only game in town when the application was designed. 2. It was head-and-shoulders above everyone else. More, better, faster. Most people think you just throw SQL-99 at it, but then you're wasting your money. Look at their analytical languages, for example.