This is a little too generous about the benefits of binary formats vs text formats. Ultimately, any data exchange between disparate systems is going to be a challenging task, no matter what format you choose. Both sides have to implement it in a compatible way. And ultimately, every format is a binary format. Encoding machine-level data structures direct on the wire sounds good, but it quickly gets complicated when you have to deal with multiple architectures and languages. And you don't have the benefit of the gradually accreted de-facto conventions like using UTF-8 encoding for text-based formats to fall back on, much less the ability for humans to troubleshoot by being able to read the wire protocol.

With sufficient discipline and rigor, and a good suite of tests, developed over years of practical experience, you can evolve a good general binary wire protocol, but by then it will turn out to be so complicated and heavyweight to use, that some upstart will come up with a NEW FANTASTIC format that doesn't have any of the particular annoyances of your rigorous protocol, and developers will flock to this innovative and efficient new format because it will help them get stuff done much faster, and most of them won't run into the edge cases the new format doesn't cover for years, and then some of them will write articles like this one and comments like yours and we can repeat the cycle every 10-20 years, just like we've been doing.