Yeah, that's great, but my point was that HTTP+JSON solves the easiest part, not the part that actually needs to be done: creating an agreed upon format for the content being serialized (via JSON) and transported (via HTTP). When that was attempted with XML, it ended up with multiple query methods, multiple schemas, new and obscure transport wrappers (SOAP over SMTP, for example).

Maybe we can avoid a Second System Effect now going forward... if XML was the Second System.