03. Deprecate YAML Tiny dialect for JSON Proposal:
The current META.yml isn't really YAML. It has many of the drawbacks of YAML and none of the technical benefits. It has the benefit of being sort of user editable, but both YAML and YAML Tiny can seem more human-editable than they are. We almost certainly want machines writing META files anyway. META.json should replace META.yml over time. Given both, META.json should be preferred. JSON is entirely unambiguous, very easy for humans and machines to read, has a very short and clear specification, and has a very well proven pure-Perl reader and emitter with no non-core prereqs that could be cored. Parse::CPAN::Meta could handle both. Alternately, META.yml could be detected as either JSON or YAML Tiny by Parse::CPAN::Meta, relying on the "well, JSON is YAML" hand wave. Comments * I would like to phase out the use of YAML Tiny entirely. YAML was a great idea that has failed to thrive in Perl land, and YAML Tiny is a great way to cope with our reliance on that failed idea. Rather than let YAML Tiny live forever, we should begin the process of deprecating it entirely over the next 5-10 years. rjbs 15:36, 28 August 2009 (BST) * I concur with Ricardo that at the very least we should at least state in the next version that the YAML format is ultimately destined for deprecation. AdamK * I would like one violation of the JSON spec: allow Javascript-style comments. My one beef with the JSON spec. Elliot
