Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#281

Post by renewiltord » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

huffmsa wrote: post #220

Bodell wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly if your name your product stupid things I would think that some of us might be choosing not to download your product as a result. And if a store decides not to sell your product because of this it’s really their prerogative. Saying you violated their terms with impunity for 6 years doesn’t mean they lose the right to correct the mistake. This name is pretty rings rather badly in my ears, though I’m not offen…

What if it was "caffeine"? A stimulant drug, just happens to be legal. Or Coca? A plant that release a stimulant when chewed. Now if the app was called "Sweet Meth", you'd have a better parallel with "fuck sleep", but it's not.

There's an app called Caffeine that does the same thing. It's what I use.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#282

Post by canofbars » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

permo-w wrote: post #259

mmaunder wrote: post #23

You’re angry. I’ve felt this in a trademark lawsuit. You think the world should get behind you and change the corrupt system. My advice is to immediately rebrand as gracefully and effectively as possible and use all that activist energy to effect the transition. They kind of have a point which doesn’t make them right, but they hold all the cards and you will lose this one and regret the wasted bandwidth.

Caffeine would be an easy answer to the rebranding question

I just did a search and found multiple apps with that name already.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#283

Post by lukifer » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

asddubs wrote: post #207

eecc wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I can’t help questioning the “non-violent” part: it takes incredible amounts of energy to maintain that is quite literally taken away from other - possibly more helpful at social scale - purposes.

not to mention the environmental impact

Yet another reason to implement a Carbon Tax & Dividend [0] ASAP. There's certainly an argument that the intentional waste of Proof of Work is more efficient than the overhead of existing banks; but I suspect the whole crypto world would migrate to Proof of Stake if forced to pay for their externalities. As is it, they simply borrow against the planetary credit card (probably at a rate of ~100x interest), sticking future generations with the bill for their "innovation".

[0] https://clcouncil.org/economists-statement/

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#284

Post by dack » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

Angostura wrote: post #226

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They kind of have a point They don't (the claim is the app promotes drug use, which it doesn't), and it's quite likely that it's a reviewer mistake that will be overturned once the stink on social media gets big enough to reach the right person.

> the claim is the app promotes drug use, which it doesn't You don't think it could reinforce the idea that Amphetamines could be a useful tool to preserve wakefulness?

Not op, but no; the app has nothing to do with drugs.

I don't think we as a society should be this sensitive/prone to suggestion. If anything, I believe the censorship promotes the idea that people have no responsibility to make their own choices, and we must build to the lowest common denominator.

Note, I'm not really making a judgement about whether Apple should be allowed to do this - I think that is harder question.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#285

Post by kortex » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

throwaway201103 wrote: post #132

fabatka wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amphetamine and metamphetamine (meth) are two different things.

In the context of illegal/recreational usage, not really. Chemically they are similar, and affect the body in pretty much an identical way. Methamphetamine metabolizes to amphetamine. Methamphetamine has more potent effects for the same dose. And of course street meth is a crap-shoot.

Yes, really. That methyl group makes a big difference. It increases potency, toxicity, absorption rate and overall addictiveness, hence why amph is commonly prescribed, while meth (desoxyn) is reserved for severe narcolepsy.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#286

Post by glerk » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:05 PM UTC

permo-w wrote: post #259

mmaunder wrote: post #23

You’re angry. I’ve felt this in a trademark lawsuit. You think the world should get behind you and change the corrupt system. My advice is to immediately rebrand as gracefully and effectively as possible and use all that activist energy to effect the transition. They kind of have a point which doesn’t make them right, but they hold all the cards and you will lose this one and regret the wasted bandwidth.

Caffeine would be an easy answer to the rebranding question

There is already an app called "Caffeine" that serves the same purpose.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#287

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

marmaduke wrote: post #269

adhder wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your kids asked you that, I hope you'd give a reasonable answer about these being prescribed medications for narcolepsy and ADHD, that much improve the quality of life for people afflicted with these conditions. Rather than ignorant shit like "you don't ever need to take those pills".

Sure if that was the case. How many abusers have you seen tho? Have you seen their MRIs after the damage?

[deleted]

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#288

Post by floatingatoll » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:07 PM UTC

jjcon wrote: post #148

floatingatoll wrote: post #92

I couldn’t have guessed the purpose of the app from this name, and now that I know what it does, I would specifically avoid giving money to it due the name alone. I’m glad someone made an alternative to Caffeine.app but “they’re both drugs” doesn’t weaken my personal objection to the choice of name. I am glad that Apple is compelling the name to be changed, and I hope the author complies. This is where “universal fre…

As someone I guess not in the loop with the latest in outrage culture... what exactly is offensive about the name?

My issues with it stem from something unpublished in the late 90s, which is not something 'dismissable' that you can simply set aside using the negation-by-framing of 'outrage culture', so I can't offer any reply to your question. Please accept my apologies for how far off the mark my reasons are from your assumptions; perhaps another time we'll be better aligned.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#289

Post by canofbars » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:07 PM UTC

rgovostes wrote: post #25

Well-written argument for the app reviewers to get bent, especially the highlighted examples of other apps that show the rule is clearly applied inconsistently. Apple's App Store moderation is embarrassing. They routinely fail to catch harmful junk—I've shut down a few top-grossing bogus antivirus apps for Mac, and the publisher of Untitled Goose Game routinely posts screenshots of clones that are trying to make mone…

When an app that simply describes how a product is made is "objectionable and crude" it says a lot about the product.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#290

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 01, 2021, 9:07 PM UTC

eecc wrote: post #171

xiphias2 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You change it by going for the weakest point in a peaceful way under the radar. I believe it's Bitcoin, which is a silent, non-violent libertarian protest against the whole central banking system that produces huge powers, but I know that I am in the minority.

Well, I can’t help questioning the “non-violent” part: it takes incredible amounts of energy to maintain that is quite literally taken away from other - possibly more helpful at social scale - purposes.

[deleted]