Because a web page shouldn’t use 4 GB of ram, and the win is that each pointer can be half the size (better for memory and cache).

The real mistake is requiring pointer to be 64 bit when most programs don’t use it.

You sounds like the misattributed Bill Gates of 2026.

	▲	frollogaston 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Even before RAM got very expensive recently, it had already plateaued. Like 32 GB was still considered a lot for a PC and was about the same price as a decade prior.