They have fixed representations for different types, with tradeoffs. And you have to pick one. And the thing about timeout handling specifically is that everyon

They have fixed representations for different types, with tradeoffs. And you have to pick one. And the thing about timeout handling specifically is that everyone along the path from the timer driver up through the app needs to agree on the precision needed, or you'll get an overflow condition I agree, but the difference between 32-bit counters and 64-bit counters as a precision refinement is very special. Upgrading from 32-bit counters to 64-bit counters, even when counting nanoseconds, lifts you out of human timescales. No electronic system has ever or will ever need to maintain a microsecond count for 600000 years, for example.