Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] writes:
Each of your "stuff" may weigh N megabytes in core, and if you have
M of them, you may have to ask (N*2**20)*M bytes of memory from the
allocator. Your (N*2**20)*M must fit size_t _and_ you must compute
it without overflowing or wrapping around.
None of the above mean you have to express N in size_t, though.
Small correction. I meant "there is no reason to count M in size_t"
in the above. I am perfectly OK with expressing N in size_t.