* consistency, and because the return type conveys the immutability guarantee.
   *
   * <p><b>Performance note:</b> the instance returned is a singleton.
   */
  @SuppressWarnings({"unchecked"}) // fully variant implementation (never actually produces any Es)
  public static <E> ImmutableSet<E> of() {
    return (ImmutableSet<E>) RegularImmutableSet.EMPTY;
  }

  /**