Remove json library

[mattytrentini]

It's not clear why there's a python implementation of the json library - perhaps it pre-dates json as a full-featured built-in?

If there are no other benefits to using the built-in over the python implementation then we should remove the python implementation.

[stinos]

At first sight this implementation implements pretty much everything CPython's implementation has i.e. much more arguments for the dump/load functions than MicroPython's builtin version. Not sure if anyone actually uses this though.

[mattytrentini]

It actually looks like it is the CPython json implementation, albeit an older version.

It really would be good to know if people are using this! Then we could tell if it makes more sense to remove or update. I do think there's a strong case for the former...

[DusKing1]

I'm using this lib, please do not remove.

[mattytrentini]

I'm using this lib, please do not remove.

Thanks for letting us know @DusKing1, can you also please explain what features of the library - more than the built-in json library - you're using?

At the moment there are no tests and if we're going to continue to support this library we ought to add some; it would make sense to preference the features that are being used.

[DusKing1]

I'm using this lib, please do not remove.

Thanks for letting us know @DusKing1, can you also please explain what features of the library - more than the built-in json library - you're using?

At the moment there are no tests and if we're going to continue to support this library we ought to add some; it would make sense to preference the features that are being used.

Oh, sorry I might misread this repo and PR. This is not the lib in the micropython firmware but add-on libs for device that are running mpy firmware right?

[dbrignoli]

We also rely on this JSON implementation, please do not remove it. Thank you.

[andrewleech]

We also rely on this JSON implementation, please do not remove it. Thank you.

Hi @dbrignoli, do you use this copy of json that needs to be manually installed from micropython-lib? Not just the normal built in version?

If so, could you give some more details like #498 (comment) ?

[dbrignoli]

Hi @andrewleech,

A quick (partial) search of our codebase reveals we use indent and sort_keys kwargs to json.dump(). Additionally, I believe we encountered some "showstopper" issue with ujson which made us switch from ujson to json, but I cannot recall exactly what it was as it happened more than 2 years ago, sorry.

[andrewleech]

@dbrignoli that's great thanks, I absolutely know what it's like to not remember how/why I fixed things years ago! - kwargs usage is a really helpful hint!