Yes, it won't be perfect at first, but there is always a chance of reducing the barrier to entry. The lower it is, the more % of users / developers / apps are going to use it.
It's not defeatist. As I said, I just don't think, even in the optimal scenario, that it is a goal worth achieving. Personally I'd rather software developers focus their time on more worthwhile features.
Not sure I agree. I didnt know about gitjournal until vHanda's post, but immediately saw how it could be a replacement for my use of Google Keep (which I use when I'm on the go vs at my laptop). And there was already an exporter for Google Keep. I'm guessing that exporter benefited from a spec being available.
Your point about "if you're the only one using it, just use it" does apply, but sometimes we do find ourselves being more successful than we originally expected and defining things via a spec is not a bad thing.
Yes, it won't be perfect at first, but there is always a chance of reducing the barrier to entry. The lower it is, the more % of users / developers / apps are going to use it.