When phones first appeared, the numbers were only 4-5 digits. Now a minimum of 7 is common, with areas requiring a full ten digits to be dialed.
This is the same thing.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Interestingly, the IPv4 structure has held up amazingly long. Vint Cerf chose 32 bits (8 for the network, 24 for the host) instead of 128 bits because it was just for their little ARPANET research network, and 32 bits was already quite a bit of overkill. Why add the overhead of 128 bits in an era when computing resources were so constrained and the cost for more networks and hosts than the protocol can handle appeared to be prohibitively high?.
First through classing (A-class, etc.), then masking, then through NAT, IPv4’s life has been extended insanely far beyond its original design. It’s a good testament to the original designers.