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

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.