Why does this result in an error:

(require '[honeysql.core :as sql])

(jdbc/query
  db-spec-user
  (sql/format
    {:select [:*]
     :from   ["fruit"]}))
Execution error (PSQLException) at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl/receiveErrorResponse (QueryExecutorImpl.java:2440).
ERROR: syntax error at or near "$1"
  Position: 15

(jdbc/query
  db-spec-user
  (sql/format
    {:select [:*]
     :from   [:fruit]}))

It's really the difference between (jdbc/query db-spec ["SELECT * FROM ?" "fruit"]) and (jdbc/query db-spec ["SELECT * FROM fruit"]).

I don't know, but that won't stop me from speculating wildly

honeysql transforms the datastructure you give it in to the standard query + params vector that clojure.java.jdbc uses

oh, right, you already skipped past all that part

It's not legal SQL to parameterize on the name of the table.

HoneySQL assumes keywords correspond to literal SQL names (tables, columns) but strings are "values" that should be parameterized.

Oh, ok. I assume the design decision was that that definition applies to all parts of the query, even though it doesn't make sense for particular parts of the query.

Yes, rather than have special rules for different parts of the data structure, it's a lot simpler to have consistent rules -- since users can extend the DSL.