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Re: [Json] Limitations on number size?

Nico Williams <nico@cryptonector.com> Thu, 11 July 2013 21:04 UTC

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Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 16:03:52 -0500
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From: Nico Williams <nico@cryptonector.com>
To: Francis Galiegue <fgaliegue@gmail.com>
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Cc: Bjoern Hoehrmann <derhoermi@gmx.net>, Jorge Chamorro <jorge@jorgechamorro.com>, "Peter F. Patel-Schneider" <pfpschneider@gmail.com>, json@ietf.org
Subject: Re: [Json] Limitations on number size?
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On Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 3:47 PM, Francis Galiegue <fgaliegue@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 10, 2013 at 12:46 AM, Peter F. Patel-Schneider
> <pfpschneider@gmail.com> wrote:
> [...]
>>
>> But everything that I've read about JSON indicates that JSON is supposed to
>> be used for (portably) interchanging data.  If all there is to JSON is the
>> grammar then what's the point of JSON?
>>
>
> Some JSON parsers support {de,}serializing numbers of an arbitrary
> precision and/or scale. Castrating these languages just so that they
> limit their possible numeric representations is castrating the value
> of JSON itself.

That's not responsive to Peter's comment.  Just as we shouldn't leave
out bignums, we cannot require bignum support either, and people who
create open APIs with the intention to interop will have to face this
(and related) problems.

> The number production grammar is perfect as it is, I see no reason to change it.

The *grammar* is, the semantics are underspecified.

This, I think, is more fodder for: publish an update noting the
divergent interpretations, *perhaps*, in the same update, also
identify a most-likely-to-interop subset of JSON, and finally and
separately publish Internet JSON -- a subset of JSON with much less
room for interpretation and therefore much higher likelihood of
interoperability.

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