There exists a peculiar amnesia in software engineering regarding XML. Mention it in most circles and you will receive knowing smiles, dismissive waves, the sort of patronizing acknowledgment reserved for technologies deemed passé. “Oh, XML,” they say, as if the very syllables carry the weight of obsolescence. “We use JSON now. Much cleaner.”
And that is issue why? The specification decided which one you use and what do you need. For some things you consider things as attributes and for some things they are child elements.
JSON doesn’t even have attributes.