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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 decide

• bserge 6y ago
  [Sorry, I'm a bit hyped up at the moment] This is all ridiculous and I don't like where we're headed as a society.
  • tshaddox 6y ago
    I don’t buy your claim that there’s a double standard here. “Beer bong” would be another bad name for this app that I wouldn’t blame Apple for restricting. This isn’t about the arguably mixed up public policies that treat certain drugs as more dangerous than other drugs.
  • shawnz 6y ago
    Anything that could have offensive connotations could also be trivialized as "just a [noun]". That doesn't make it any more or less likely to be taken badly by the intended customer base
  • Bodell 6y ago
    I’m very glad you brought up weed actually. See I have no problem with weed and like to smoke a joint every now and then. However what I don’t want is to have to buy weed called dumb things like “bro down”, “the obliterator”, and “brain destroyer”. I’d much rather you just named something not so click baity. Sure it’s just a chemical. Everything is just chemicals but I don’t need “meth” for my computer. Same reason our kids don’t need toys advertised as “crack for your baby”. Agin not offended its just not a good name. Even if let’s say you build an app that’s hooks into some other program and you sell said app for two dollars, you may think it’s hilarious to call it “two dollar hooker”, hell I myself might even chuckle. But only once, then I’ll just get annoyed every time I see “two dollar hooker” in startup, “two dollar hooker has crashed” etc. I also would not buy your product if it were called alcohol poisoning. I love alcohol. I’m drinking a beer right now (happy New Years everyone). But naming a computer program after it sounds like an odd thing to do. And more to your point would also be a violation of the same rule Apple is using in this case.
    • randallsquared 6y ago
      The application keeps one's Mac from going to sleep. Its name is basically a direct analogy, and doesn't imply any wrongdoing or illegality, as far as I can see. > I also would not buy your product if it were called alcohol poisoning. I love alcohol. I’m drinking a beer right now (happy New Years everyone). But naming a computer program after it sounds like an odd thing to do. And more to your point would also be a violation of the same rule Apple is using in this case. What about an application that assists in force-quitting other programs? One might call that "Scotch", since that's what it does ("It 'scotches' other processes, you see..."), and the application might have a cutesy whiskey glass as its icon. Would that run afoul of your sensibilities?
      • Bodell 6y ago
        I don't think it implies wrongdoing, just sounds like a silly joke. Scotch vs scotch whiskey is more of a word play joke as well than a direct analogy. But I see your point and your totally right that one sounds less bad to me. I'm only stating that as a matter of taste I do not like this particular apps name. And since it's apple's store they have the right to not like it either. I just don't think this is a profound "free speech argument" like some do in these comments. Personally I think it's really odd that someone would need an app to keep their computer from sleeping. This says far more about macs than the arbitrary naming policy.
        • randallsquared 6y ago
          Haha. It's just a convenience, not a need. There's nothing stopping you from going to screensaver settings and energy settings, manually setting it to "never", then going back after you've completed the download, screenshare, or whatever, and changing your settings back. Alternatively, you could use Apple's built-in CLI tool, `caffeinate`, as others have mentioned.
    • kuroguro 6y ago
      Alcohol 120% has entered the chat. /s I can see why Apple chooses the family friendly route and rebranding probably is the best option in this case as fighting it would most likely be futile. I don't think they went overboard with the name in general tho. It makes sense for the app as much as the other coffee/coca branded ones do. They explicitly chose "amphetamine" over "meth" which is a medical term and has valid uses.
  • Kattywumpus 6y ago
    > For God's sake, is this where we're headed? Just ban anything that sounds offensive? Headed?
  • wruza 6y ago
    It doesn’t sound offensive, just stupid and provoking. Along the lines of Condom Antimalware Suit or Holocosta Firewall. Condoms are great for protecting you and holocaust just means “burn all” - had nothing to do with burning people. It only burns network packets, look at the context, it’s fire wall! No need to come the raw prawn here, simply rename it.
  • rualca 6y ago
    > Amphetamine is a chemical. What is wrong with that? This disingenuous take on the term does not help your case nor reflects positively on your reputation as a honest person. Amphetamines have a long reputation as recreational and illicit drugs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine Amphetamines, much like cocaine and heroin, are not a mere chemical, nor do they convey a mental image of chemists doing science in a lab to the public. And please don't try to pass everyone as a bunch of stupid idiots by claiming that an app designed to keep a device awake is named after a mere chemical, with a long track record of being used as an euphoriant, without any popular connotation with drug abuse.
  • notsureaboutpg 6y ago
    You are being ridiculous. No one is saying ban everything offensive. But many people, including me, will think twice about buying anything called "Amphetamine". I also wouldn't buy anything with "Cannabis" in the name. Both may have good uses but they are still narcotics which are most well known for being recreationally abused. Everything can have a good use. But that doesn't mean everything is the same or is going to be treated the same by people. Names matter, they are signals meant for humans to understand in specific ways. And names which refer to taboo or suggestive topics are going to prick up the ears of some customers and turn others away. Names related to drugs, sex, etc. are going to turn off many customers (especially those with kids), enough for stores to have policies against them. There's nothing wrong with that.
  • drivingmenuts 6y ago
    There are lots of software that I won’t touch simply because if I ever had to explain the name, I would immediately be put on the defensive, regardless of how useful they may be. It’s a conversation that would waste my time. Similarly, I would avoid naming something potentially weird or offensively for much the same reason, no matter how appropriate or funny it might seem at the time. While rebranding might be a pain, I suggest just doing it. This not a free speech hill worth dying on, in my opinion.
    • jethro_tell 6y ago
      I'd set up a mastadoon server but I don't want to tell my friends to check out my toots. Hehe your fucking five, but then it just gets annoying.
      • user-the-name 6y ago
        To most of the world, that word does not mean farts. That is only the case where you happen to live. To most people, it refers in this context to the noise an elephant makes.
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• bambax 6y ago
  > I’m not offended by the word “fuck” but I don’t really want to buy products that are named that. Then don't. How is this relevant? They say the app has been downloaded 500,000 times, so many people are fine with the name. These stories keep coming; they should remind us that nothing is more precious than the open web, and all those stores or walled gardens, their "rules" and vague TOS are the ennemy.
  • warent 6y ago
    In my mind maybe this is something like an HOA. Sure, your friends might love your house parties, but your neighbors have to deal with the consequences
    • smnrchrds 6y ago
      Aren't HOAs widely hated?
      • incongruity 6y ago
        As are dentist visits and prostate exams - but even those things ultimately add value. HOA’s arguably do so as well even if they’re often hated.
        • smnrchrds 6y ago
          But do most people consider them as such, i.e. painful but necessary/beneficial? My understanding was that they are widely regarded as parasitic organizations full of busybodies who are there to advance their personal agenda and to feel a sense of power over people at the expense of all the reasonable people who just want to live their lives; they are considered the polar opposite of live and let live. I personally have never dealt with an HOA, so my understanding of their popularity is shaped solely by what I have read online. I must say your comment is the only one I have ever seen that has put them in a positive light.
          • hombre_fatal 6y ago
• huffmsa 6y ago
  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.
  • renewiltord 6y ago
    There's an app called Caffeine that does the same thing. It's what I use.
    • huffmsa 6y ago
      Next on the chopping block.
      • CydeWeys 6y ago
        Doubt it, seeing as how caffeine isn't a controlled substance.
    • tonyedgecombe 6y ago
      Apple’s own command line tool which does the same is called caffeinate.
  • larusso 6y ago
    Funny you mentioning „caffeine“ [1]as this is also an app for macOS which solves the same purpose as the one posted. But this one is not in the App Store. I just had a look and next to amphetamine we have taurine, theine and caffeinated and a few more that use some form of coffee / a substance that keeps one awake. The „Prevent Sleep“ app is the only one which clearly states what it is for :) [1] https://intelliscapesolutions.com/apps/caffeine https://intelliscapesolutions.com/apps/caffeine
• wincy 6y ago
  I know a very intelligent software engineer who told me he had never used Exercism (despite him using other similar tools) simply because he’s a practicing Catholic and thought the name to be in poor taste. You definitely alienate people at the fringes by naming things something even slightly risqué.
  • webmobdev 6y ago
    And do you really want Apple to be the arbitrator of such silly things?
    • canjobear 6y ago
      For their own app store, of course.
      • izacus 6y ago
        Even when their AppStore is mandaded to all your hardware by DRM with you not having any choice of opting out? You want all your possible business speech, products and content you consume dictated by a corporate decree with no accountability?
      • webmobdev 6y ago
        The app store is a closed environment where they can dictate some terms. But don't forget that the developers PAY THEM to use it, and as such their terms cannot trump the consumer laws that exist to protect against abuse. (By the way, "my shop, my terms" have already faced legal scrutiny, some of which were found to be illegal - popular judgements include that shops cannot refuse to serve people of colour or gays.)
        • colejohnson66 6y ago
          Those “popular judgements” were because the laws on discrimination say so. There’s no law saying a store has to sell what they don’t want to. If Target (for example) decides to stop selling Pampers because they don’t like the name (for whatever reason), that’s their choice.
• hugi 6y ago
  Americans being American. "We love freedom of speech but fuck you if your product name mentions a chemical compound or a word I or someone else might find offending".
  • powersnail 6y ago
    I don't see how any of these contradict freedom of speech. We are talking about 1) people being offended by a name; 2) a company banning an app on their own app store. Whether you find the situation distasteful, it has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Neither the offended people nor Apple is infringing on the developer's freedom speech.
  • GCA10 6y ago
    Freedom of speech isn't the same as freedom of distribution. There are lots of edgy things that you can say somewhere. You just can't say them everywhere. We can have lots of lively debate about how to draw the boundaries. But we'll get a lot farther if we can move beyond the two-state absolutism of "allowable everywhere" vs. "outright banned with breath-taking severity."
    • jethro_tell 6y ago
      This is still not it. He's not facing a government warrent. Freedom of speech means the government won't/can't prosecute you for what you say. It doesn't have anything to do with how companies or private citizens respond to your words. You're (usually) legally allowed to say you'll fuck my mom but I don't have to bring you over for family dinner. One could contend that apple's refusal to host this app on it's store is in itself free speech. Either way, the government jasent gotten involved so nothing here treads on free speech issues.
      • JumpCrisscross 6y ago
        > Freedom of speech means the government won't/can't prosecute you for what you say The First Amendment says this. Freedom of speech is “a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction” [1]. It is broader than the First Amendment, and gave rise to it, though the First Amendment is its most successful codification in the modern world. A society that shuns those who say “bad” things, even without state action, may not hold true to the values of freedom of speech. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
• throwaway201103 6y ago
  > Saying you violated their terms with impunity for 6 years doesn’t mean they lose the right to correct the mistake. Well it gives you an argument I think. Along the lines of a trademark infringement -- if you have let people use your trademark name for years without protest, that can work against you if you suddenly start demanding that it be enforced. Not sure it would hold much weight here, since it's a case of Apple deciding what they want to allow in their own store.
• croes 6y ago
  Amphetamine is a drug to keep one awake. So the name is appropriate.
• webmobdev 6y ago
  This just detracts us from the actual discussion - do you think Apple should be the ultimate arbitrator to decide what you name your app?
  • irateswami 6y ago
    This whole thing is why I'm so glad someone finally sued Apple over their control of the app store, it's just more fuel for the fire.