[swift-evolution] [Pitch] Rename `AnyObject` to `AnyClass` and drop current `AnyClass`

[Dave Abrahams]

on Fri May 20 2016, Adrian Zubarev <swift-evolution at swift.org> wrote:

> I’d like to discuss with the community to see their reactions on that topic.
>
> Basically from the beginning of Swift I thought it was just confusing how these typealiases were used and named.
> As we know from Apply API Guidelines to the Standard Library the Type suffix will be dropped.
>
> Currently we also discuss about the `Any<…>` existential which may
> contain Any-type requirement one day (by ’type’ I mean `class`,
> `struct`, `enum` in a way like this: `Any<class>`).
>
> The Any-class requirement could replace the current `AnyObject`
> protocol with a typealias like this: `typealias AnyObject =
> Any<class>`
>
> Assume Swift would introduce Any-struct and Any-enum requirement one
> day. How would one name a typealias for these, where `AnyClass` means
> `AnyObject.Type`?
>
> I suggest we drop the current `AnyClass` and rename `AnyObject` to
> `AnyClass`. If one would need the old `AnyClass` behavior it will
> become `AnyClass.Type`.
>
> In the future we could have typealiases like this, which are more clear:
>
> `typealias AnyClass = Any<class>`
> `typealias AnyStruct = Any<struct>`
> `typealias AnyEnum = Any<enum>`

I would oppose this, since the distinction between AnyStruct and AnyEnum
is not a useful one.  There's no observable semantic difference between
a struct that conforms to a protocol P and an enum that conforms to the
same protocol.

> I don’t know how the migration process works but I can assume that this should be done in the right order:
>
> - migrate every `AnyClass` to `AnyClass.Type`
> - at the end migrate `AnyObject` to `AnyClass`
>
> What do you think? I’d write a small proposal if the community reaction is positive. 
>
> -- 
> Adrian Zubarev
> Sent with Airmail
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-- 
-Dave