The need for StrictYAML makes me realize how unnecessarily complex YAML is. I think choosing to make YAML a superset of JSON was a smart idea to encourage adoption, but as YAML has grown in popularity it has outgrown the feature. It reminds me that there a constant tradeoff—between legacy comparability and simplicity—that applies beyond configuration formats.
Since JSON is already terrible on its own, making YAML a superset of JSON is a great example both of "putting lipstick on a pig" and of considering "it works in the common case, let's try something even harder" an acceptable design standard.
