No Software Keys Required

Ever since I made Simian available, I’ve had a strong belief that the software should be available for download in a non-crippled form. That is, whether you pay for it or not, makes no difference to the functionality; you are however left with a clean conscience :)

Unfortunately, this is something that many customers find quite difficult to come to terms with. Many of them, after parting with a relatively small sum, insist they be sent a license file, software keys, or something else tangible for their money. I’m at the point now where I’m considering simply sending out a file containing 128-bytes of randomly generated gibberish that they can place in the software directory just to give them that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Did I miss some unwritten rule that says a polite email thanking them for their purchase isn’t enough?