What lies above JSON or S-expressions, XML? Or some binary format? If I had to guess, I'd say the issue with JSON and the like is how to deduce types (and the

What lies above JSON or S-expressions, XML? Or some binary format? If I had to guess, I'd say the issue with JSON and the like is how to deduce types (and the limited types available) combined with the issue of special characters in names and strings. XML goes a long way towards fixing that, but at the cost of a lot of extra bloat. A binary format with a nicely defined header might work, but those formats tend to not be so good about inserting stuff. There is something to be said in favor of plain text. If all solutions suck, go for the simplest and most flexible solution.