json-ld/json-ld.org — Issue #48: Rename @literal to @value
Author: lanthaler
Created: 2011-12-13 16:19:23+00:00
State: open
Labels: spec-design

Originally raised on the [mailing list](http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-linked-json/2011Dec/0037.html):

@literal is used to set the value of a property when it is typed or it's language is specified. The name @literal is based on RDF. Something like @value might be easier for JSON developers to understand, but that's just nit-picking.

Considering that we now have merged @type and @datatype I think it would make JSON-LD even simpler:

{
"@value": "2010-05-29T14:17:39+02:00",
"@type": "xsd:dateTime"
}

might be easier to remember and easier to understand for average developers than

{
"@literal": "2010-05-29T14:17:39+02:00",
"@type": "xsd:dateTime"
}