> "INNER JOIN" + WHERE is how one does an equijoin. It works, it has always worked, and there is no other alternate specification."
ANSI might have something to say about that. FROM ISO/IEC 9075.
Section 7 (Query Expressions), Subsection 7.7:
<joined table> ::=
<cross join>
| <qualified join>
| <natural join>
<cross join> ::=
<table reference> CROSS JOIN <table factor>
<qualified join> ::=
{ <table reference> | <partitioned join table> }
[ <join type> ] JOIN
{ <table reference> | <partitioned join table> }
<join specification>
<partitioned join table> ::=
<table factor> PARTITION BY
<partitioned join column reference list>
<partitioned join column reference list> ::=
<left paren> <partitioned join column reference>
[ { <comma> <partitioned join column reference> }... ]
<right paren>
<partitioned join column reference> ::=
<column reference>
<natural join> ::=
{ <table reference> | <partitioned join table> }
NATURAL [ <join type> ] JOIN
{ <table factor> | <partitioned join table> }
<join specification> ::=
<join condition>
| <named columns join>
<join condition> ::=
ON <search condition>
<named columns join> ::=
USING <left paren> <join column list> <right paren>
<join type> ::=
INNER
| <outer join type> [ OUTER ]
<outer join type> ::=
LEFT
| RIGHT
| FULL
<join column list> ::=
<column name list>