I guess my point is that if JSON is the least shitty alternative then I can't really agree that Unix-type environments would be better off using it for everything, because JSON is a pain in the ass to type and edit with a regular text editor... the same with XML... and the same with S-expressions... YAML is a monster, CSV isn't really structured, and so on...

Basically there is no universal structural language that's ergonomic and nice for all uses, so it makes sense that the Unix hackers of yore preferred to create tiny custom languages for everything. It's also because "worse is better".

https://www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html