Re: [Json] What is a JSON-text? [REVISITED]

[Nico Williams <[e-mail]>]

On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 12:51 PM, Stefan Drees <[e-mail]> wrote:
> Me also very strongly against "non-container" top-level entities.
>
> Additional rationale:
> - Add two bytes to wrap the serialized/transported value into array or
>   say six bytes and use eg. {"d":my_top_level_value} should be cheap
>   for the benefit of producing a JSON-text.

That's very lame; see below for rationale.

> Even if value is king, values like strings, numbers, true, false or null
> just wrapped into "no clothes" make me wonder why one would serialize (or
> forward) them as advertised JSON-text in the first place.

Because JSON isn't always used to transport values across networks
(where it'd be silly to send scalar values with all the overheade of
HTTP and TCP/IP, say).  JSON is often used for interop between local
components, where the overhead that would make laughable the use of
scalar values at the top-level just doesn't apply.  E.g., the Python
bindings to libjq.  Indeed, here your suggestion that I call "lame"
*adds* undesirable overhead.

"But JSON is an interchange format for networking" is not a good
answer to that.  It's a good interchange format, full stop.  The train
with JSON used for local interchange purposes left the station.  This
is why parsers commonly have an option to accept scalar values at the
top-level.

Nico
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