You could implement all sorts of funky config formats, by translating them down to the underlying (richer) format. Go nuts!
Yes, yes, it might make me a better person but I want to try XMonad more than I want to fuck around with Haskell.
I think the fact that no one has bothered to write a limited configuration format is telling. It seems to indicate that people who have learned Haskell don't see any benefit in it and appreciate the flexibility offered to them.
> I think the fact that no one has bothered to write a
> limited configuration format is telling.
I'd say the ratio of XMonad users who would build a easy-config system to total XMonad users is small. You're trying to claim that total XMonad users = X, and since X people are using it without creating the 'new system,' it means that no one sees the utility in it.