If it starts at 1 it's an item number, not an item index (which starts at 0). Adopting index/number as a distinguishing nomenclature for the two cases has saved a lot of confusion at $work (ignoring the convention on the other hand has caused a lot of confusion and wasted time).
Any other base number gets the appellation "mistake", although there are some places where a non 0 or 1 base can help clean unusual code up considerably.
Optimising for fewest key strokes only makes sense transmitting to Pluto or beyond
