The formatter that set the expectation of standard formatting was that for Go (gofmt), which applies a very light touch: it never removes newlines and rarely in

The formatter that set the expectation of standard formatting was that for Go (gofmt), which applies a very light touch: it never removes newlines and rarely inserts them, so you still have latitude to arrange the code in a way that respects its meaning. By contrast, the Java formatter we use at Google is an example of the totalitarian instincts unleashed by this new technology: it insists on reflowing everything, including the contents of comments so that they always use the full 100 columns. Madness.