Why developers hate linters?

Disclaimer: I get it; some of you out there are Linters' biggest fans, almost like they're your favorite band. But to be clear, this is my humble opinion, not a call to arms! So, if you're feeling feisty about your lint-enthusiasm, remember, it's all in good fun!

As a senior developer who has worked in a variety of teams, tech stacks, and organizational cultures, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with linters. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a linter is a tool that programmatically checks source code for stylistic consistency, potential errors, or departures from a predetermined set of rules.

This sounds like a great idea on paper: automate the nagging details of the coding style, catch issues before they become defects, and keep the codebase tidy. In practice, the relationship between developers and linters is far more complicated. In fact, it’s not uncommon to encounter developers who openly express frustration, disdain, or even outright hatred toward these tools.

Why does this happen? After all, we’re talking about something that should, in theory, help developers write better code. To understand why developers often end up viewing linters as more of a hindrance than a help, we need to dig deeper into the cultural, psychological, and practical realities of software development.

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