[rezashirazian]

Comparing referencing counting and following a disciplined convention in coding are not the same thing. ARC was a step forward because it eliminated a nuisance inconvenience from your development which most of the time was not related to the problem you were solving.

Following a good and disciplined programing convention is more of an overarching theme of how you solve your problems. It practically defines your style and no amount of forced framework convention will be a step forward unless you're willing to take it.