Bitcoin doesn't differentiate between the two. You really, really can send BTC without paying transaction fees, honest. I do it 3 times per 24 hours.
That's right, however the official bitcoin client - at least version 0.3.21 and a RC for 0.3.22 - FORCED me to add a fee on every transaction I've made so far. There is apparently no way in the settings to disable this behaviour.
So you understand the fees. You understand why the fees. You understand the circumstances under which the official client "forces" you to pay the fees.
You just don't like them, and would like to see them at zero (and or in the GUI have the ability to set them to zero).
Point noted. Submit a feature request here:
https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issuesThat's how open source works. Just whining in the forums and continuing to disagree with the "whys" people have provided, will never change anything.
The other alternative is to use a different client and/or write your own (which you've said you don't want to do).
Time to move on.