Why are String Formatted Queries Considered So Magical?

[Lawrence D'Oliveiro]

In message
<14e44c9c-04d9-452d-b544-498adfaf7d40 at d8g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>, Carl 
Banks wrote:

> Seriously, almost every other kind of library uses a binary API. What
> makes databases so special that they need a string-command based API?

HTML is also effectively a string-based API. And what about regular 
expressions? And all the functionality available through the subprocess 
module and its predecessors?

The reality is, embedding one language within another is a fact of life. I 
think it’s important for programmers to be able to deal correctly with it.