best way to store configurations

Question

I'm implementing a configuration manager with full API, similar to the Windows registry. I want it to be human readable, as in being able to open and edit it with a text editor. I want it to be able to store any type of configuration information that a program could possibly need, as well as be fast enough to be useful.

I've looked at the following markup languages for storing the information:

• XML
• JSON
• YAML
• S-expression

But I am not sure what language would be proper for this task.

Answer 1

I know this is very late but I would suggest you use YAML. Very human readable and it is widely used for configurations and would meet your needs "I want it to be able to store any type of configuration information that a program could possibly need". The only downside to it is the indentation style that uses space, you have to be very careful because wrong indentation means a different interpretation of the content. Once you get used to it, it's very easy to use.