nobody is concerned mages are losing half their spells?

[Inaaca]

Not necessarily. There is the possibility of a sub-menu within your skill bar. Instead of each spell taking up a slot on your skill bar, you have "Elemental Spells" take up ONE spot on your skill bar. When you press that, another bar comes up with all your elemental nukes. Fire, Blizzard, Aero, etc. This would only take up one actual skill slot.

Then you could have another spot on your skill bar for "Elemental Enfeebles" that operates the same way for Burn, Choke, Rasp, Dia, etc.

That's taken up 2 skill bar slots so far. So you still have 13 slot for job abilities and 10 for cross class abilities.

From a healers perspective, you would have one skill bar slot with an icon for "Healing Magic" and selecting that would bring up a bar with all your HP restoring spells. Cure, Regen, etc.

Another spot on your skill bar would be for "Enhancing Magic" and selecting that would bring up your list of enhancing spells. Protect, Shell, Stoneskin, etc.

While that would indeed conserve space, what a pain in the ass it would be in the heat of battle to have to open multiple menus just to cast a spell. No thanks.