See AlternativesToXml. ZCDSF is data serialization format, like XML, JSON, etc.

Advantages includes:
* No reserved words.
* External encoding, rather than Unicode.
* Comments starts with # meaning that a shebang line is possible if you want it.
* Has support for macros.
* Uses delimiters instead of indentation.
* Support namespaces.
* Support references to other parts of the data; these aren't the same as making copies of the data, they are more like pointers.
* External datatype support by use of "host macros".
* Implementation in 35K (this is the size of a Windows executable including the library and a small example program, so the actual implementation is smaller).
* It is cleaner than XML.

Disadvantage:
* Numbers are limited to 64-bits.
* Some error checking is missing from the implementation.
* Implementation isn't quite completely tested.
* The format does not check the schema.
* Some people hate it.
* The computer will not understand what you mean if you try to use VT100 line drawing to enclose an object.
* It is difficult to put pictures in it.
* Less common.

{ What? No Links? Google turns up nothing. Is this someone's pet project or are they messing with us? }

[Looks questionable to me, and the stuff Donald found below is (at best) glancingly related.  I suggest it be deleted as there's no useful content.]

''It isn't on Google. A link is to:  http://zzo38computer.org/textfile/miscellaneous/zcdsf.txt''

''These lists may be biased so please add more advantages/disadvantages/questions/complaints into the list so that it can hopefully be made perfectly clear and completed.''

[A grammar and some examples would be very helpful.]

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---'''checked out - found the following''' DoingStuff.DonaldNoyes.20140619
* CDSF 
** CommonDataStorageFormat
*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Data_Format

* CGNS
** Structured, unstructured, and hybrid grids
** Flow solution data, which may be nodal, cell-centered, face-centered, or edge-centered
** Multizone interface connectivity, both abutting and overset
** Boundary conditions
** Flow equation descriptions
*** equation of state, viscosity and thermal conductivity models
*** turbulence models
** multi-species chemistry models
** electromagnetics
** Time-dependent flow
*** including moving and deforming grids
** Dimensional units and nondimensionalization information
** Reference states
** Convergence history
** Association to CAD geometry definitions
** User-defined data

''Unfortunately I do not understand these things very well. That's OK, though.''
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CategoryArchitecture