Re: [xml-dev] use of JSON instead of XML

["Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@simonstl.com>]

On 6/26/2018 8:04 AM, Ihe Onwuka wrote:

On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 7:46 AM, Simon St.Laurent <simonstl@simonstl.com> wrote:

On 6/25/2018 9:02 PM, Patrick Durusau wrote:

The popularity with programmers can't be denied but is that the measure
for "right track?"

It's not the measure, but it's an excellent sign that XML missed this supposed target audience.  JSON addressed their needs more easily and more directly.

At the expense of everyone else who needs to work with the data!. 

A computer program is not the only consumer of data, the consumption preferences of it or it's author are not the only use case for which the suitability of the format needs to be assessed .

It depends.  In a lot of cases - remember I work primarily with people building things in which the Web is key - the entire team is used to thinking in JSON.  Transmitting, storing, querying.  I've also worked on projects where conversion between particular JSON structures and particular markup (or Markdown) vocabularies was just normal, barely noticed after a while.

Because they are not just saying we want to use JSON for the stuff we need to do, they want everybody to use it and they implement this by deliberately not supporting alternative formats on the way in and on the way out. 

A situation where the needs, preferences and prejudices of this single demographic (who/which btw are not even the owners of the data) gets to holds sway over all other use cases and  users is (going to be) problematic.

I'm not at all a fan of having programmers make decisions about how we share and structure data.  Unfortunately, XML blew its chance for broadening that conversation.

Thanks,
Simon