Re: [Json] [Technical Errata Reported] RFC8259 (7603)

Carsten Bormann <cabo@tzi.org> Tue, 15 August 2023 06:32 UTC

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From: Carsten Bormann <cabo@tzi.org>
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Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2023 08:32:18 +0200
Cc: "Murray S. Kucherawy" <superuser@gmail.com>, Francesca Palombini <francesca.palombini@ericsson.com>, linuxwolf+ietf@outer-planes.net, Guillaume Fortin-Debigaré <guillaume.fortin@debigare.com>, json@ietf.org, RFC Errata System <rfc-editor@rfc-editor.org>
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To: Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com>
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Subject: Re: [Json] [Technical Errata Reported] RFC8259 (7603)
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On 14. Aug 2023, at 08:33, Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com> wrote:
> 
> But in the real world JSON strings contain any old combination of Unicode code points, as described in the report.

Yep, and trailing commas, JavaScript comments, map entries with duplicate keys with a specific assumption which entry will win (e.g., as a replacement for the lack of comments in JSON), numbers that need to be interpreted differently (as of a different type) depending on whether they are using NR1 or NR2/3 format, and so on.

One of the good uses for having a specification of JSON, with all its known weaknesses, was that it could be used to discourage at least some of the most horrific misuse cases.  I don’t understand why, after 5.5 years of having a published Internet Standard, we would want to materially change this Internet Standard to the worse.  I also don’t understand why the errata process should be allowed to be used for that.

Grüße, Carsten