You don't need JSON configuration even if it was existing.

You can use annotation based configuration (meaning Java classes with annotations like @Configuration, @EnableWebMvc etc..) for > 90% of the configuration cases:

http://blog.springsource.org/2011/06/10/spring-3-1-m2-config...

I prefer plain files instead of annotations. Just wish the non-readability of XML would go away with less bloated format (which other frameworks did with JSON).

Fair enough argument :)

Though, now that I've gotten into the annotation way I like it the most.

I mix them usually. Layer-oriented stuff like @Transactional and @RequestMapping incl. Path/HTTP Method etc. in the code, central declaration stuff like e.g. Marshallers, HandlerAdapters, global ExceptionHandlers in XML...

:)