RE: [xml-dev] The JSON Data Interchange Format (ECMA standard,October 20

[David Lee <dlee@calldei.com>]

------------  Micheal
My reading is that the statement "JSON is based on a subset of ECMAScript " is a statement about the history and origins of the spec, and has no normative effect.

But perhaps this has caused confusion in the past and this is why the new ECMA 404 has a clarifying paragraph on the subject.

Michael Kay
Saxonica
-----------------------

Suppose I interpret it like you do (I dont but thats fine, its unclear).

What I read exactly is 

" JSON is agnostic about numbers. In any programming language, there can be a variety of number types of 
various capacities and complements, fixed or floating, binary or decimal. That can make interchange between 
different programming languages difficult. JSON instead offers only the representation of numbers that 
humans use: a sequence of digits. All programming languages know how to make sense of digit sequences 
even if they disagree on internal representations. That is enough to allow interchange."


I very simply, and strongly, disagree that the first sentences imply the last.
In fact I say they explicitly prove otherwise.    That simply avoiding the issue of representation
doesn't magically make it enough to "allow interchange".
Quite the opposite - by ignoring implementation and not saying anything about it ... 
any implementation can claim "JSON" compliance and not be able to interchange data with other implementations.

For example I dont happen to know of any "JSON" processors that can *actually* handle integers > 53 bits.
or have any defined way of interchanging such numbers.   Maybe some do, but if I want to have my app "allow interchange" with JSON ... the specs are not helping me.


And yes XML has similar problems but at least the specs attempt to address the issue instead of pretending it magically vanishes by ignoring it.

Thats my last rant ... I swear :)

-David

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David Lee
Lead Engineer
MarkLogic Corporation
dlee@marklogic.com
Phone: +1 812-482-5224
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