Difference in Versions? App Catalog Version vs Homebrew Version

The addition of more and more "Homebrew" applications to the official Palm App Catalog brings about the question of "is there a difference between the two applications?"

The short answer is, "Yes. There is a difference."

The next question would be "is there an advantage/disadvantage to one over the other?"

This question doesn't have that easy of an answer. If you pay close attention, most of the applications have differences. It is up to the developer whether or not they keep two different build trees. I have noticed so far most developers have kept the homebrew tree as a "testing ground" for new features, while their "App Catalog" as the scaled down version. Furthermore, the current set of released Palm API's do not allow for some of the more advanced functions some of the homebrew apps use. Therefor, some of the homebrew versions are more feature packed than their App Catalog sibling. So really, there would be an advantage to installing the homebrew application over the app catalog version in this circumstance. However, the addition of "For-Pay" Applications might bring in a third level of functions in an Application. Example: The "Purchased" version would have features not available in the "free" version (obviously) OR in the homebrew version (as the developer would want to keep a "reason" for you to buy the app). This would mean there would be an advantage to buying and installing the "for-pay" version.

The questions I am asking are:
1) Will you developers keep two, and/or three, seperate build trees of your applications?
2) If so, will you include a way of telling us, the users, the differences between them?
3) Will the Homebrew installation applications (Preware, Preload, QuickInstall, FileCoaster, etc) have an info option added to tell users if an app is in the App Catalog or For-Pay Catalog?
4) If so, will these applications list the differences in them? I.E. Build Tree #, Build #, Version #, Featureset, etc.
5) Will YOU as a user stick strictly to Homebrew applications? Strictly to App Catalog? Strictly to For-Pay? A mixture of the three?

I am basically asking for feedback from the community here. I wonder what everyones thought on this is.

Advantage to App Catalog over Homebrew: After resetting your phone, App Catalog applications that you had installed will automatically reinstall as part of the restore process. Also, App Catalog apps that have updates show in the Updates app.

Because of this, as a user, I'd prefer most things to be in the App Catalog that can be put there, and leave the homebrew catalog for early betas, and things that are currently unsupported by Palm (NaNPlayer) or will never be supported by Palm (MyTether- even though this one isn't even in the homebrew catalog right now).

I will have two versions in the App Catalog. Word Whirl and Word Whirl Lite. They are exactly the same code except for two differences. Word Whirl Lite has High Score disabled (mainly to allow for space to have an Upgrade button) and 10 levels of play, instead of 2,300. (Lite will be free, Full version will be $2.99)

I will be loading Word Whirl Lite onto Pre Central, most likely WITH High Score, to beta test new functionality. Both the Lite and Full version may exist on the device at a the same time, because Palm requires a different id for each.

Hopefully, those who are using the Full version will "play" with the new features in the PC Lite version and give me feedback and bug information. Then the code developed will work back into the Full and Lite versions in the App Catalog as an upgrade for everyone.