[Discussion] Easing the learning curve for introducing generic parameters

[hborla (Holly Borla)]

I do agree that the minimal spelling of existential types is part of the problem, but even if we can justify a massive source break to make existential types harder to spell, I still think we would need some of the ideas in this post for this reason:

@hborla

For programmers with experience in languages where the primary tool for polymorphic behavior is subtype polymorphism, guidance toward parametric polymorphism with value types is crucial for making Swift easier to learn.

Generic programming is a new way of thinking for a lot of programmers, and there is still a learning curve and ergonomic issues even if type parameters have as verbose of a syntax as existential types.