When is the count even?

Most people think the count is even at 0-0, 1-1, 2-2. Wrong. Since it's four balls for a walk and three strikes for a strike out, the pitcher starts the plate appearance ahead in the count. The count is even at 1-0, 2-1, 3-2. That's when both the pitcher and batter are an equal number of pitches from their limit. Maybe we should give a walk at three balls, that would make it simpler and more obvious. It's amazing that even something this simple and fundamental is viewed incorrectly. It shows the extent to which baseball fans are stuck in conventional wisdom.