This all seems ok on first glance, but now try to do some very basic math, such as addition and subtraction.
Quick what's 5|221 + 3|5?
Not intended for doing quick mental math... the intent is to shorten the representation on a web page and get the "order of magnitude" at a first glance.
When needed, it is very easy to convert to decimal. You do not need to count with your fingers the 5 zeros on the web page (or was it 6?) to enter 5 zeros on a calculator.