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.
Anti-features are often used as part of a product differentiation strategy, allowing a complete product line to be created from a single design or code base that actually consists of a number of versions of the same high-end product with progressively more features deliberately disabled as the price point drops.
Digital rights management, Client Access Licenses, and Windows Genuine Advantage are considered by some to be examples of anti-features in software: each restricts functionality (unlimited copying, and unlimited numbers of clients capable of being served, respectively) that would otherwise be innate in the product's design.
Hardware copy protection schemes have similarly been used to limit the functionality of some recording devices.
In automotive design, software restrictions may be used to deliberately limit the performance of low-end vehicles, even though they may be built from the same parts as higher-end vehicles in the same product line. In the computer printer industry, hardware authentication strategies have been used in attempts to link the sale of ink cartridges to the sale of printers.
Read more about this topic: Damaged Good