Big endian is better for routing applications. In the same way that little endian is better for addition. For example let's say I send a message to 1.2.3.4, th

Big endian is better for routing applications. In the same way that little endian is better for addition. For example let's say I send a message to 1.2.3.4, the first router will decide what will be the next node based on the first number, the next one on the second, the next on the third, etc... Because it is big endian, the first router only has to read the first number to do its job, if it was little endian, it would have to read the entire address fist. Of course, it is a detail, I mean, the words "little/big endian" is a parallel to the the pointless fights in Gulliver's travels. But even if it could have gone either way, for IP, big endian is more natural.