Following a language's conventions.
WHAT IDIOMATIC MEANS
Written the way experienced practitioners of that language write it.
WHY IT MATTERS
Code that follows conventions is read faster, reviewed more easily, and maintained by anyone who knows the language.
WHAT IT INVOLVES
Naming conventions Structure and organisation Preferred constructs Standard library use rather than reimplementation Error handling in the expected way
HOW TO LEARN IT
Read well-regarded code Read the language's own style guide Use the standard formatter and linter Have your code reviewed by someone experienced in that language
WHAT TO AVOID
Importing patterns from another language wholesale Writing an abstraction the language provides Ignoring the formatter because you prefer something else
WHY THAT LAST POINT
Consistency across a codebase is worth more than any individual preference.
WHAT TO ADOPT IMMEDIATELY IN ANY LANGUAGE
Its formatter, applied automatically.
WHAT THAT ENDS
Discussions about style, permanently.
WHAT TO QUESTION
Conventions that genuinely harm clarity, rarely.
