title: Why even big-endianness computers read from lower to higher memory? For big-endianness opposite could be more optimal
body: <p>I've read about endianness in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endianness" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wiki</a> and tried to search for my question, found that post <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38992147/does-the-endianness-affect-how-structure-members-are-stored-into-the-memory">Does the endianness affect how structure members are stored into the memory</a> where it is explained endianness does not affect sequence of structure members in memory (from lower to higher) for <code>C</code>.  </p>
  
  <p>Also in wiki:  </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>The little-endian system has the property that the same value can be
    read from memory at different lengths without using different
    addresses</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>but that is only if we read from small to large address.</p>
  
  <p>I'm wondering where (what architectures / languages) use sequence of memory from higher (to be clear: larger address) to lower? It would make big-endianness on such have same beneficial properly mentioned in wiki quoted above.</p>
  
  <p>Also e.g. it could mean in language similar to <code>C</code> <code>malloc</code> return largest address and the program will fill memory by doing <code>received_address--</code> not <code>++</code><em>(hope I made myself clear)</em>.</p>
  
  <p>I could not find by web search why computer development did not go that route (to read memory from large to small address) (cause if that phrase in wiki is correct, it indeed did not go).</p>