this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2026
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JSON is like the carcinization of programming
Chuck in comments and I'm on board.
_comment: "this is a comment"
They were chucked out because, according to the guy who defined it, people started using them for parsing directives, which hurt interoperability because now you needed to be sure that the parser would both read the comments and interpret them correctly. Suddenly, those comments might make otherwise identical files parse differently. If the whole point is that it's reliable and machine-readable, keeping it to the minimal set of features and not extending it any way whatsoever is a good way to ensure compatibility.
What you can do is define some property for comments. It's not standardised, but you could do stuff like
I'm not a real programmer but I was wondering wtf you're on about because I don't think I've ever worked with a json file in a system that didn't use // for comments lmfao
And also, JSON was intended as a data serialisation format, and it's not like computers actually get value from the comments, they're just wasted space.
People went on to use JSON for human readable configuration files, and instantly wanted to add comments, rather than reconsider their choice because the truth is that JSON isn't a good configuration format.
Why then use a inefficient text based format instead of a much more efficient and easy to parse binary format?
Just use DER encoded ASN.1 like a normal person.
Speaking from my own experience, "I could also use this for..." seems to be a ubiquitous programmer affliction. Single-purpose tools that are great at their thing tend to be short-lived unicorns until someone starts sticking other parts onto them for additional functionalities, taking off the horn because it's in the way for some thing or other, and somehow we end up with yet another multi-function-tool that does a lot of things poorly.
If we’re adding comments to json, can we add canonical support for trailing commas?
Found the python guy!
Oh, a trailing comma? That’s a tuple.
Yeah when the call_func((a,)) is the way to go it is a newbie pain for sure. Remember banging my head on that one.
I’ve spent hours on that, and debugging missing commas between string literals. Even on separate lines you’re not safe from implicit concatenation.
Just make JSON5 the new official version and I would be ok
That seems quite good, not overdoing it too.
Well...
It's name-value pairs, with groups denoted by balanced brackets. It's close to as good as you can get for one kind of data serialization.
What is impressive is how many problems people manage to fit in something so small.
What's it called when people try to reinvent Lisp for the hundredth time?
xml
Funny thing, Lisp structures are converted pretty easily to xml/html, so of course there are packages for Lisp varieties allowing one to write html in Lisp. (Similar to Pug, but with parentheses.)
yes, xml came from SGML which has influences from lisp, lisp can be used to represent xml 1 to 1 they have the same data model
carthinazation
Not many people realise this, but Hanibal's dad Hamilcar Barca had a lisp, and used his knowledge of abstract syntax trees and delayed execution to deforest parts of the Himalayas in order to let his elephant of a son through.
The plural for said zealots'd be Cartholth? (singular: Carthole)
That’s not JSON. Note the use of equal signs for the property names. That’s something else.
Equals schmequals.
It could be a
⇨and it would be the same as JSON because it is still a single symbol used as a separator.Now, if it took multiple separators, each giving some specific different meaning, then it would be a something else.
Nah, that's a Ruby Hash...
schmooby schmash
Excuse me, it's a Ruby Hash Rocket.
None of what you said makes any sense.
This is the equivalent of an anti-vaxxer denouncing vaccines because they feel that their herbs are close enough to real medicine. 🤦♂️
Don’t do that. Syntax absolutely matters.
Look! I made a new programming language!
You seem to have had something like mint and thyme in mind as an example of herbal medicine, but try to substitute something like marijuana and nightshade to see that your description doesn't fit all of the herbs. The only thing I agree is that effects often come coupled and you have to do something to isolate necessary ones.
While marijuana and nightshade (and coffee) would be herbal "medicine" substitute for MDMA, DMT, nicotine, cocaine etc,
the others you mentioned would be a substitute for Chlorpheniramine Maleate, phenylpropanolamine and the likes.
So if a herbal medicine doctor is prescribing you marijuana for cough and cold, you can perhaps consider it being a quack. Same for someone prescribing SSRIs to a functioning adult that works 40 hours a week, on their first visit.
My point was more along the lines that herbal doesn't mean safe, mild, slow, etc
It would definitely be milder and slower.
Safe? Nothing is.
If you want to fuck with your brain, then doesn't matter whether you choose poppy seeds or IV its refined chemical. You will still fuck your brain.
And coffee is pretty much an addiction.
The difference is that with the former, you would at least know what is happening to you before you turn yourself into an invalid.
And for those who said they didn't know what was happening... No. Your body gave you the signs and you decided to ignore them.
Allopathic drugs are measured in mg and some even in µg, while you will see ayurvedic stuff being talked about in grams or tens of grams, simply because they are less refined.