Template question about alias

[Edward Diener]

Another D template question.

I am assuming that one can not create a variable which refers to a 
template instance, but one can create an "alias" for a template 
instance, ie.

template MyTemplate(T) { T data; /* other decldefs ... */};
MyTemplate!(int) aname; // illegal
alias MyTemplate!(int) aname; // legal

Is this correct ? If it is so, why did D not just scrap the use of 
'alias' in this case and allow the first form, 'MyTemplate!(int) aname;' 
to represent an alias automatically, since it would save endlessly 
having to type 'alias' for a syntax which could not be anything else ?