Ok, i am not an old time player or anything, but i have some thoughts about the whole subject.
Class identity is cool. A paladin should feel like a paladin, a warlock like a warlock, and a mage is a mage, and i think that is the idea of unpruning.
But there are certain class fantasy or playstyles, that at least on paper, are very specific to certain specs, and not that class overall.
Outlaw Rogue, it is very cut and dry the Pirate fantasy, which is very different in theme towards the other 2 specs, i could see a pirate using poisons in their weapons, but stealth isn’t really a thing, even though it is a thing that is prevalent in the class as well.
I think Shadow and Holy priest are also two different fantasies in general, and overlapping abilities don’t mix up very well, but at the same time, i see how gameplay wise some abilities are fundamental for both specs having.
Hunter is the only class in the game focused on ranged weapons, if you want the “ranger” or “sniper” type of character that goes solo and use long range weapons, you have a spec that is about not having pets, which is cool, and i feel that someone would get mad if suddenly that spec became about having pets to fight alongside you.
I think there is a fine balance to be made here, i think certain specs fill the need of certain classes that don’t exist or certain archetypes of character that don’t exist, but also some classes are very defined by their class.
My main character is a warrior, an arms warrior, and i feel that is a different fantasy of a fury warrior, one feels like a specialist, using power and technique, while the other is a Barbarian. But roleplay elements are just one factor, gameplay aspects, tools and balance is very important, so in general, i think that having every class having a strong identity while also giving their specs identity of their own is important.