Involvement of Top Executives in Open Source Projects and the Unique Approach of Prettier

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This chapter delves into the decision-making process behind creating Prettier as a separate code formatting tool, distinct from ESLint, and the involvement of top executives in open source projects like React within Facebook. It discusses the performance and speed enhancements of Prettier, as well as its roadmap for continual updates to cater to new language syntax. The chapter also emphasizes the significance of code formatting tools like Prettier in the evolving JavaScript ecosystem and their benefits in automating code formatting to enhance productivity.

Scott and Wes sit down with Vjeux from Meta to dive deep into the origins and evolution of Prettier, the widely-used code formatter. They discuss the challenges faced, the decision-making process behind its features, and what the future holds for this indispensable tool in the developer’s toolkit.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:45 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
02:19 New swag!
03:25 Who is Vjeux?
06:56 Is management the key to successful projects?
08:50 The genesis of Prettier.
12:08 Why other JS formatters didn’t work.
16:56 Focusing on edge-cases.
17:41 The goal for Prettier.
- Prettier Philosophy.
18:31 Next step, integrations.
19:37 Should you run Prettier on save or commit?
21:34 Does Prettier’s limitations lead to higher adoption?
- Prettier Config.
25:01 What was the most controversial default setting?
28:14 Does Facebook use semicolons?
29:18 Getting approval to devote 6 months to Prettier.
31:42 Working with Mark Zuckerberg.
32:43 Was there ever consideration to augment ESLint instead?
- Prettier vs. Linters.
35:34 What are your thoughts on the Rust-based alternatives?
36:44 Prettier’s $10,000 bounty.
39:32 What is the future of Prettier?
44:54 Prettier is available in almost every language.
47:59 Advice for other open-source maintainers.
53:26 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.