1. Antifeatures
Jonathan Carter
Geekdinner Cape Town
29 March 2010

2. What's an Antifeature!?
… and why
should I care?

3. Let's move on to some examples
The Encyclopedia says:
Anti-features are design features deliberately added to a design to reduce the functionality of a hardware or software system. Examples include the production of "cut-down" versions of software or hardware that is built from the same basic hardware design or code-base as the full product, except for design elements added with the sole function of removing or restricting functionality.
Let's move on to some examples

4. The “Missing Feature”

6. Yay Free Upgrades

8. Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium
Antifeature
Windows 7 Starter
Windows 7 Home Basic
Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Ultimate
bool allow_new_app() {
    if (edition == "STARTER" && num_apps == 3) {
        return FAILURE;
    }
    else {
        return SUCCESS; }
N Variations:
Windows N Editions are available for both upgrades and new purchases, for the Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. The features in the N Editions are the same as their equivalent full versions as well as the same price, but do not include Windows Media Player. While there is no reduction in cost, Windows Media Player can be downloaded without charge from Microsoft for these editions.
VL Variations:
VL Builds work with VLKs (Volume License Keys). Volume license keys can be used to activate multiple installations of the software without any mechanism (such as a product activation mechanism) checking the total number of installations. The license for the software will place restrictions on the use of the key. Typically the license will limit the key to a fixed number of installations which must only be within the licensee's organization and also place the licensee under an obligation to keep a record of the number of installations, keep the key confidential and possibly even require that the licensee organization makes itself available for a software licensing audit to verify that its use of the key is within the terms of the license. If a volume license key becomes known and used outside of the organization it is licensed to then this is regarded as copyright infringement.
E Variations:
European Editions include browser ballot.
Upgrade and any-time upgrade variants.

9. Cellphone companies do missing features best.

11. We'll get our 50 bucks whether you give it or not

12. Freedom Tax

13. But why!? Extracting more money from consumers Market segmentation
Securing market positions (monopolies)
IP Protection
Extortion

14. So what? Awareness leads to better choices
Better choices shape a better industry
“People get the government their behavior deserves. People deserve better than that.”
- Richard Stallman

15. Questions & Comments
Based on Antifeatures talk by Benjamin “mako” Hill at LCA2010
Slide text released under Public Domain
Graphics are owned by respective copyright owners
Wikipedia definition is CC-BY-SA.
Windows 7 Antifeature hypothetical code snippet from