Dunno if i agree the class system is why it failed at launch. There seemed to be plenty wrong at Launch. The Class system and to an extent the jobs ontop of them is why i actually enjoy the game. If it was the standard 1 class per character style game i'm not sure it would have kept my interest as it has.
Jobs without classes would just make jobs the classes. And even though classes remain semi specialized, Jobs are even more so. I belive what they need more then just trashing the class concept is to make classes less like lesser versions of Jobs and more of what the jobs lack, they have more of, but what the jobs do well, they have less of.
The Armory system itself is one of the big draws to FF14 for me. If i want a new character for every class theres a plethera of games out there that do that.
Something that could assist classess as a short term fix could be some more class only gear that really defines what the jobs lack be it bonuses or something extra that alone we may think "woah, overpowered" but in the context of class only, instead of class only gear that says, heres some basic stats...but the tag says class only.
If the classess gear or crossclass skills don't make up for all the extra skills a Job gives, its will hardly ever stack up. Thats not to say Classess need a version of the Job's skills. Classess need something exclusive to them enough that is either different, useful or unexpected that actually helps in a group.
Keep in mind, since we havent had a hands on with 2.0, and thus know its possabilities even less then we could, its hard to say what they could do for classess in 2.0. Drawing on 1.0, we all realize classess are lacking alot when standing next to any Job, sometimes even solo. In 2.0 there may be some options they can do for Classess that we haven't imagined yet, just because we don't know what we don't know.
That said just because we know this issues around classess in the current version, hardly says we need to scrap them totally. It could be a diamond in the roughest of rough.