If a JSON parser ignores the JSON spec, is it the spec that went too far in the other direction? Or is that parser just badly-written? (Or misguidedly lenient?)

If a JSON parser ignores the JSON spec, is it the spec that went too far in the other direction? Or is that parser just badly-written? (Or misguidedly lenient?) You could say the same for an XML parser that allows a naked '&' between tags, or continues parsing a document that omits a closing tag somewhere. Your complaint is probably still valid, but I'd say it's better directed at the culture than the specs.