To be honest, I'm wondering why you are rating JSON higher than CSV.
> Unlike XML or JSON, there isn't a document defining the grammar of well-formed or valid CSV files,
There is, actually, RFC 4180 IIRC.
> there are many flavours that are incompatible with each other in the sense that a reader for one flavour would not be suitable for reading the other and vice versa.
"There are many flavours that deviate from the spec" is a JSON problem too.
> you cannot tell programmatically whether line 1 contains column header names or already data (you will have to make an educated guess but there ambiguities in it that cannot be resolved by machine).
Also a problem in JSON
> Quoting, escaping, UTF-8 support are particular problem areas,
Sure, but they are no more nor no less a problem in JSON as well.
> Unlike XML or JSON, there isn't a document defining the grammar of well-formed or valid CSV files,
There is, actually, RFC 4180 IIRC.
> there are many flavours that are incompatible with each other in the sense that a reader for one flavour would not be suitable for reading the other and vice versa.
"There are many flavours that deviate from the spec" is a JSON problem too.
> you cannot tell programmatically whether line 1 contains column header names or already data (you will have to make an educated guess but there ambiguities in it that cannot be resolved by machine).
Also a problem in JSON
> Quoting, escaping, UTF-8 support are particular problem areas,
Sure, but they are no more nor no less a problem in JSON as well.