This was interesting. If you want to know some backstory of json vs XML and true story behind javascript.

https://corecursive.com/json-vs-xml-douglas-crockford/

Today’s guest is Douglas Crockford. He’s sharing the story of JSON, his discovery of JavaScript’s good parts, and his approach to finding a simple way to build software. Also, his battles against XML, against complexity, his battles to say that there’s a better way to build software.

This is foundational stuff for the web, and Doug is an iconoclast.