3 ms·

Here is a good back and forth on s-expressions vs xml. http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?XmlIsaPoorCopyOfEssExpressions http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?XmlIsaPoorCopyOfEssExpressi

• mqsiuser 12y ago
  That is so old (2003). It is so much (am I supposed to read it?) (what is LISP ;). And it is so wrong: "XML is simple to parse": If I (I am a parser... or parser writer) hit the end of something then it is just the end: So it is "}" or the "EOF"-special-character Again: Subtract everything (from XML), then you have "(XML-)elements only" (so "valid" xml): What is (still) wrong then: - Element repetition "</element>" (that won't be fast and compact): Not fast for a parser to process and not compact to submit over the wire - Use of more than one character to start (and end) a block (a block structure): < and > and everything in between :) It is so super easy, nothing more
  • splawn 12y ago
    Yes, I'm sure this debate is as old as XML itself. The last edit on that page was in 2013, btw. I agree with you, XML is overkill 99% of the time and I usually don't like working with it. Fortunately JSON seems to be taking over in a lot of areas. I just posted this link because I think simple sexps could do the job just as well as anything else for most situations.