Thinking about Nova's config file, I did not want to use a settings.json
like VS Code does. Here’s why.
Machines love data. Humans love meaning.
Your config should speak both.
JSON was never meant for humans. It’s a data interchange format — brilliant for APIs, but frustrating for creative or configuration files. It’s rigid, unfriendly, and silent about intent.
The problem with JSON
- No comments. No explanations.
- Trailing commas break everything.
- Nested braces make it unreadable at scale.
- Quotes and escapes turn clarity into noise.
Configuration should communicate, not just execute.
As an alternative, we have YAML, TOML, and even Markdown — formats designed with humans in mind.
JSON is great for machines.
YAML is great for people.
And as we move into the age of AI-assisted development, that matters even more.
AI systems understand natural language — they parse Markdown, prose, and plain text effortlessly. So why not let your configuration files speak English, too?
AI loves English.
Configure your AI with .md, not .yaml — and definitely not .json.
Closing thought:
The next generation of software will be described, not compiled.
Let your configuration be the first conversation.
— Aeonath