Anti-Anti-Feature: An antifeature that doesn’t actually do what it’s meant to (something you didn’t want in the first place)
My laptop came with a Windows Vista license. An anti-feature in itself – I didn’t want it, have never used it (I run Ubuntu and love freedom).
However, if you try and read the license key off this sticker, it’s increasingly difficult to do so. It’s being worn away. Why? Because it’s on the bottom of the laptop and I’m using it on my lap (so friction rubs it away).
Luckily I don’t run Windows Vista and need to re-install it any time soon.
Like you, the first thing I did when I bought my current laptop was blow away the supplied Microsoft operating system and install a Linux. Everything worked perfectly and off I went.
A year later, I had need of a Windows OS to run some legacy software I needed for work. Shouldn’t have been a problem, just reinstall Windows, either dual-booting or in a VM. Only I couldn’t actually read the licence key any more. It’s at around that point that I stop caring about whether I’m pirating software or not. :-/
The fact that the sticker has since fallen off altogether probably makes it an anti-anti-anti-feature?