Configuration file: switch to JSON

[jflesch]

Python ConfigParser has annoying limitations that JSON module doesn't have. Mainly, ConfigParser seems to have issues with special characters ('\', '\n', spaces, etc). This is why I had to encode the work directory path using base64 (but base64 makes it not-user-friendly / not-editor-friendly at all).

[spaetz]

Could it be that you run into the interpolation feature of COnfigParser? Try to use a RawConfigParser and see if this improves things?

[jflesch]

Hm good point. It's quite possible actually. I'll have to do some tests