[dmd-beta] D 2.062 beta

[Nick Sabalausky]

On Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:29:46 +0100
Jacob Carlborg <doob at me.com> wrote:

> 
> On 13 feb 2013, at 20:37, Walter Bright <walter at digitalmars.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > On 2/13/2013 3:06 AM, Leandro Lucarella wrote:
> >> Please, don't use json for configuration files, is a format
> >> intended for machines, not humans (OK, is better than XML but
> >> still horrible for humans).
> > 
> > Json is simply a subset of javascript, which was intended for
> > humans.
> > 
> >> 
> >> If you need a standard and flexible file format that is almost as
> >> good for humans and machines, maybe you want to consider YAML.
> >> 
> >> Environment:
> >>   override:
> >>     name: value
> >>     baz: foo
> >>   default:
> >>     foo: bar
> >> 
> >> But I still think a configuration file shouldn't be as complex as
> >> YAML.
> > 
> > Configuration files grow ever more complex, and it'd be nice to
> > have a format that doesn't need constant redesign.
> 
> 
> YAML is quite a flexible format. It support references, for example.
> 
> Environment: &Environment
>   foo: 1
>   bar: 2
> 
> Environment64:
>   <<: *Environment
>   bar: 3
> 
> Here "Environment64" will contain everything in "Environment" and
> then override any values that is listed under "Environment64".
> 
> It's also possible to implement new types in YAML.
> 

IMO, SDL (Simple Declarative Language, not Simple DirectMedia Layer)
beats the heck out of even YAML:
http://sdl.ikayzo.org/display/SDL/Home

It's just trivially simple and obvious with no syntactic noise. I had
been a proponent of YAML, but my interest in it died completely after
discovering SDL. YAML has less syntactic noise than JSON, but it's
kinda complicated. I had started writing a D version of SDL last year
but then got distracted. Definitely want to get back to it though.