> If you don't want to discuss "taste" questions, then just don't, it doesn't matter what option you pick.
Exactly, it doesn't matter what option you pick, as long as everybody picks the same option. Enter opinionated code formatters, because otherwise how do you do it?
Only reject obviously quite messy code, and only rarely allow formatting rewrites. Learn that anybody’s strong preferences for a specific style or discussion of such aren’t demonstrably beneficial for the bottom line of the business or customers.
My point is you let people have their different styles, reject changes on lines where code isn't changed, and coach the style zealots to calm down. Changing a couple of bytes in a file? Don't change the style. Writing something new? Figure out what's best. Rewriting a big chunk? Make reasonable formatting choices.
Some programmers are zealots who have a hard time working with others, the solution isn't always to force the matter or acquiesce to the squeakiest wheel. A strong organization should be able to enable people do have their style and disable people from forcing their opinions on everybody or wasting everybody's time with low-value debate.
> Changing a couple of bytes in a file? Don't change the style. Writing something new? Figure out what's best. Rewriting a big chunk? Make reasonable formatting choices.
This is exactly the type of arguably useless effort we don't want to spend any time on. Having to think about what is "reasonable", "allowed", or "best" is non-negligible cognitive burden for both the writer and reviewer/reader.
When I use black or other formatter, I have to exert cognitive effort to anticipate how the formatter will format the code so that I can avoid the inevitable stupid formatting decisions.
I often then tweak the code in a way that is not necessarily better, it's merely rendered better by black.
It just feels like I'm fighting against the tool half of the time.
> My point is you let people have their different styles, reject changes on lines where code isn't changed, and coach the style zealots to calm down
Code with style changes, especially within a file, is harder to follow than almost any reasonable consistent style. And adopting a common formatter with common settings is a lot less work than “reject changes on lines where code isn't changed, and coach the style zealots to calm down” even if it was neutral in readability.
I think it's a tell when people get so fussy about style, if you can't get past non functional differences how are you going do on differences of functional differences. "my code is spaghetti and performs poorly, but at least I used a formatter!"
Exactly, it doesn't matter what option you pick, as long as everybody picks the same option. Enter opinionated code formatters, because otherwise how do you do it?