I'd say JSON is more on the level of s-expression than an ini file. JSON objects are extremely regular (your thing's either an object or a literal), more-so tha

I'd say JSON is more on the level of s-expression than an ini file. JSON objects are extremely regular (your thing's either an object or a literal), more-so than your standard 2-level ini file. Plus there's a lot of stuff. Sure, JSON might be a bit more verbose for the "Hello World" scenario, but in mid-range sizes, it's still pretty clear (compared to the verbosity of XML) and doesn't require custom tooling to deal with (like ini files). There are some formats with less braces (replaced with indents and with less key stuff) that are (I think) isomorphic to JSON that would be nicer to use for everyone involved, though.