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by pjmlp 152 days ago
I used it, and agree 100% with the author.

Hence why in 2026, I still hang around programming stacks, like Java and .NET, where XML tooling is great, instead of having to fight with YAML format errors, Norway error, or JSON without basic stuff like comments.
2 comments
EdwardDiego 151 days ago
> YAML format errors

This is why I hate (HATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE YAML SINCE I BEGAN TO WORK WITH K8S) working with Helm charts. As an example from the Helm docs...

https://helm.sh/docs/chart_template_guide/yaml_techniques#in...

> Note how we do the indentation above: indent 2 tells the template engine to indent every line in "myfile.txt" with two spaces. Note that we do not indent that template line. That's because if we did, the file content of the first line would be indented twice.

So you end up with YAML that looks weird, and heaven help you if you refactor and now have to adjust all the `indent N` functions to a new value of N.

That said, Helm's approach of "YAML, but with Go templating" is the main source of my hatred - why they didn't take the "It's a tree, and this child node is designated to be replaced" approach is something that's always baffled me.

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imtringued 150 days ago
YAML is meant to be written by humans. If some lunatic insists on some expression evaluation system, then it should be ${expression} where the YAML file is parsed as is without a template, and the software that reads the YAML file interprets the expression.

If you hate YAML instead of Helm for their insane choices, then enjoy barking at the wrong tree for the rest of your life.

I've been using application.yml files for 9 years without experiencing a single YAML related issue and I see no reason to switch to any other format.

https://www.baeldung.com/spring-boot-yaml-vs-properties

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EdwardDiego 150 days ago
Did you miss this bit in my comment?

> That said, Helm's approach of "YAML, but with Go templating" is the main source of my hatred

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sam_lowry_ 152 days ago
Indeed. XML should be compared with YAML, not JSON.

While they equal each other in complexity, YAML does not even have namespaces )

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downsplat 151 days ago
I guess one thing we can agree with the author is that YAML is technically a piece of crap.
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