01 eclipse shift knob HELP

Hey all! I just bought a 2001 eclipse automatic a few days ago I'm in the beginning of fixing up the interior before I do any body work on the outside. Im just curious on the shift knob it currently has the stock one with a thumb button to unlock before I can shift into D or R , P etc.. If I go to a auto store or even walmart and pick up a plain leather shift knob that does NOT have the thumb button as the one currently inside the car and I install it would it mess anything up? would it work fine? would it give me problems in the future?

I was told that the thumb button is a safety precaution that most cars have now.


P.S. I'm fairly new with cars don't have much knowledge so go easy on this dumb question :P

--Thanks a lot !!


-Nick