I have to disagree with the premise. Formatting code is a critical communication channel. Well-formatted code should tell you:
1. The developer has enough experience to understand that formatting matters.
2. The developer has enough discipline to stick with their chosen formatting rules.
3. The developer has the taste necessary to choose good formatting rules.
4. The developer has the judgement necessary to identify when other concerns justify one-off violations of the rules.
These are really important attributes for a developer to have. They affect every aspect of the code, not just formatting. Formatting is just a very quick proxy to measure those by.
Unfortunately, things like autoformatting and linter rules are destroying the signal. Goodheart's law strikes again.
1. The developer has enough experience to understand that formatting matters.
2. The developer has enough discipline to stick with their chosen formatting rules.
3. The developer has the taste necessary to choose good formatting rules.
4. The developer has the judgement necessary to identify when other concerns justify one-off violations of the rules.
These are really important attributes for a developer to have. They affect every aspect of the code, not just formatting. Formatting is just a very quick proxy to measure those by.
Unfortunately, things like autoformatting and linter rules are destroying the signal. Goodheart's law strikes again.