794: Prettier JavaScript with Vjeux

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

• Welcome to Syntax!
• Brought to you by Sentry.io.
• New swag!
• Who is Vjeux?
• Is management the key to successful projects?
• The genesis of Prettier.
• Why other JS formatters didn’t work.
• Focusing on edge-cases.
• The goal for Prettier.
  • Prettier Philosophy.
• Next step, integrations.
• Should you run Prettier on save or commit?
• Does Prettier’s limitations lead to higher adoption?
  • Prettier Config.
• What was the most controversial default setting?
• Does Facebook use semicolons?
• Getting approval to devote 6 months to Prettier.
• Working with Mark Zuckerberg.
• Was there ever consideration to augment ESLint instead?
  • Prettier vs. Linters.
• What are your thoughts on the Rust-based alternatives?
• Prettier’s $10,000 bounty.
• What is the future of Prettier?
• Prettier is available in almost every language.
• Advice for other open-source maintainers.
• Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

• Vjeux: TransformersJS.

Shameless Plugs

• Vjeux: Prettier x Syntax Swag.

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