Why not set a bounty to improve Prettier instead of building a competing project just to increase the motivation to improve Prettier?
There are three reasons, I think:
1. Writing a rust compiler is separate from prettier project because of its nature. Prettier is not written in Rust, and Rust has proven to be a robust option to write a formatter, so the goal really is to write a formatter in Rust itself, and it can't be replaced with improving prettier within its current codebase
2. Asking someone to write a Prettier-branded and owned Rust compiler for $20k is not enticing enough. It is essentially equivalent to contracting someone to write some code for Prettier, with an open bid. It would cost a lot more to hire someone to write these code. Great programmer who has the skill to answer this bounty get paid at least $200 an hour (extremely conservative estimate), $20k is enough for 100 hours of work for one person, not enough to finish the project. But getting rewarded for $20k for stuff you write and will own is enticing!
3. Good ecosystem going forward. If prettier owns the winner project, prettier is responsible to maintaining and improving it. The good that the bounty did ends when the project is handed over. Prettier team get burdened with a project that they didn't write themselves, and the original team (the best people for the job) is not incentivized to keep maintaining it. There is no ongoing competition to keep this field active.
I was indeed wondering that but the answer doesn't really answer the question for me. Why not set a bounty to improve Prettier instead of building a competing project just to increase the motivation to improve Prettier? Or is the end goal to shut down the Prettier project and encourage people to switch to the Rust based one? Seems like an unnecessary fragmentation of an already confusing landscape.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding something though.