# Institutional Support (ICU4X / Unicode MessageFormat 2.0)

**URL:** <https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/institutional-support-icu4x-unicode-messageformat-2-0/142297>\
**Category:** Fluent\
**Created:** [April 11, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/institutional-support-icu4x-unicode-messageformat-2-0/142297 "2025-04-11T23:36:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kxra](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/discourse.mozilla.org/kxra/32/64969_2.png) [@kxra](https://discourse.mozilla.org/u/kxra)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/institutional-support-icu4x-unicode-messageformat-2-0/142297/1 "2025-04-11T23:36:21Z")

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Picking up from this exchange

> > What will MessageFormat 2 actually provide that Fluent doesn’t / can’t / won’t? There’s a page on the wiki for GNU gettext, ICU MessageFormat, etc, but not MF2.
> 
> Endorsement is a major factor I think. MF2 is likely to get an adoption boost just because of who is signing off on it—not that it doesn’t have merit too (it does) but being “standardized” by a recognized body will have an effect. That being said it isn’t a viable alternative _yet_. There are some technical differences between Fluent and MF2 but functionally/conceptually they are much more similar than different (very different syntax but that’s just sugar around the concepts and easily converted), and both stand completely apart from the rest of the field in a class of their own.

via:

> <https://github.com/projectfluent/fluent/issues/358#issuecomment-1872597260>
>
> I work in Rust, so this may have a different answer than if I worked in JavaScri…pt or Python (or maybe not).
> 
> Work on MF2 moves forward, but it feels like not much is happening with Fluent. This partially looks like it is because several people are involved in both and focusing on MF2, and partially because some people have simply moved on.
> 
> If I'm starting a new project in Rust now, it seems like the best option is to use Fluent (since there's no MF2 implementation in Rust yet). But it also looks like there isn't much development happening with it and none of the PRs that I've filed has seen any attention over the last 3-4 months.
> 
> Also, it seems like some of the existing crates used to provide data (like \`intl\_pluralrules\` are being replaced or superseded by crates from icu4x (like \`icu\_plurals\`).
> 
> \* Is there work underway somewhere for MF2 in Rust?
> \* Should people use Fluent in the short term?
> \* What sort for interop or migration might be planned or considered?
> \* Is there a need for new or additional maintainers for any of the Project Fluent repositories?
> \* Would there be an interest in changes to \`fluent-rs\` that migrate to using the newer \`icu4x\` libraries?
> 
> I didn't know if I should open this discussion here or in an issue in \`fluent-rs\` or elsewhere but figured that not all of it is Rust specific, and it is Fluent-specific, so perhaps here was a good spot.

It feels like there’s a massive duplication of effort, possibly because of NIH-syndrome. Is the state of feature-parity still about the same, and what prevents Fluent from achieving the same level of endorsement?