In article <4f7de152$0$29983$c3e8da3$54964...@news.astraweb.com>, Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.pyt...@pearwood.info> wrote: >On Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:32:10 -0400, Roy Smith wrote: > >> In article <4f7d896f$0$29983$c3e8da3$54964...@news.astraweb.com>, >> Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.pyt...@pearwood.info> wrote: >> >>> > You mean JSON expects a string with valid JSON? Quelle surprise. >>> >>> No. The surprise is that there exists a tool invented in the 21st >>> century that makes a distinction between strings quoted with " and >>> those quoted with '. Being used to a sensible language like Python, it >>> boggled my brain the first time I tried to write some JSON and >>> naturally treated the choice of quote mark as arbitrary. >> >> Your brain has a low boggle threshold. >> >> There's absolutely no reason why JSON should follow Python syntax rules. > >Except for the most important reason of all: Python's use of alternate >string delimiters is an excellent design, one which Javascript itself >follows. > >http://www.javascripter.net/faq/quotesin.htm > >I'm not the only one who has had trouble with JSON's poor design choice: > >http://stackoverflow.com/a/4612914 > >For a 21st century programming language or data format to accept only one >type of quotation mark as string delimiter is rather like having a 21st >century automobile with a hand crank to start the engine instead of an >ignition. Even if there's a good reason for it (which I doubt), it's >still surprising. > > >> Making it support either kind of quotes would have complicated every >> JSON library in the world, for no added value. > >Ooooh, such complication. I wish my software was that complicated. > >The added value includes: > >* semantic simplicity -- a string is a string, regardless of which > quotes are used for delimiters; > >* reducing the number of escaped quotes needed; > >* compatibility with Javascript; > >* robustness. > >As it stands, JSON fails to live up to the Robustness principle and >Postel's law: > >Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send. > > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robustness_principle > >> Nobody should ever be hand-writing JSON > >So you say, but it is a fact that people do. And even if they don't hand- >write it, people do *read* it, and allowing both quotation marks aids >readability: > >"\"Help me Obiwan,\" she said, \"You're my only hope!\"" > >Blah. You can cut the number of escapes needed to one: > >'"Help me Obiwan," she said, "You\'re my only hope!"'
I still think the doubling convention of Algol68 is superior: """Help me Obiwan,"" she said, ""You're my only hope!""" No special treatment of any other symbol than the quote itself. A quoting symbol is such a devious syntactic element that I rather not have two ( " ' ) or even three ( " ' \ ) > >-- >Steven Groetjes Albert -- -- Albert van der Horst, UTRECHT,THE NETHERLANDS Economic growth -- being exponential -- ultimately falters. albert@spe&ar&c.xs4all.nl &=n http://home.hccnet.nl/a.w.m.van.der.horst -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
