
f.lux for iOS is no longer available - kilian
https://justgetflux.com/sideload/#notanymore
======
herf
Author of f.lux here:

After reversing the new APIs in iOS9, it’s really really clear that Apple has
added lots of great features to iOS (and the new devices) to adjust screen
colors. The new models even have RGB color sensing, so they are an ideal
platform to build f.lux on. (I was pretty excited about our next version!)

If this were only about reverse-engineering or using LLVM to compile code I
wrote, it would be reasonable to fight it. The remarkable thing about their
agreement is that it concerns using information _that is not provided under
the agreement_. This is a reasonable term for app store distribution, but it
seems unprecedented and heavy-handed for unsigned binaries.

Ultimately, we pulled the app both to show good faith, and also because we
were asking hundreds of thousands of people to use Xcode to make accounts and
sign our software. When Apple calls up and says they don't want that to
happen, it is not really a thing you can fight. It’s their infrastructure, and
they can decide how it is used.

We were feeling pretty good about introducing “building stuff in Xcode” to
people who’ve never tried it before.

We have been as polite as we can to Apple in hopes that they will open up the
platform to developers like us. The demand for f.lux is certainly incredible.

~~~
eridius
I'm rather confused as to why you thought the following:

> _We understood that the new Xcode signing was designed to allow such use,
> but Apple has indicated that this should not continue._

Where has Apple ever indicated that the new Xcode signing was intended for
your use-case? I never saw the download you provided, but I'm assuming you
didn't actually release f.lux as open source, but instead just provided
essentially a prebuilt download and had Xcode re-sign it. Is that assumption
correct? Because that seems to be a pretty blatant violation of the spirit of
the developer program, even if it's not explicitly spelled out in the
agreement. The new Xcode signing model is intended to allow people to get
started with iOS development without paying any money, so they can build and
run their own projects on their own devices, and only have to pay for the dev
program when they want to start distributing to other people. If you did in
fact release f.lux as an open-source project, that would be within both the
spirit and the letter of the agreement (I doubt Apple has any problems with
people installing open-source apps on their personal devices). But it should
be obvious that Apple wants all binary distribution to be done through the app
store (or enterprise distribution where applicable).

Speaking of enterprise distribution, did you ever investigate that approach?
I'm going to guess Apple has some stricter requirements on getting an
enterprise developer program account, and I don't know if there's any
restrictions in the agreement. But I've never actually looked into it myself
so I don't know.

~~~
INTPenis
I gotta say I was infuriated until I read your comment, you totally nailed it.

Distributing binary code to thousands of iOS users is dangerous, if nothing
else. So Apple clearly has a point trying to control distribution through the
app store.

And if the author truly does believe in curing sleep issues, as they state,
then they should have released the source code and let people install the app
themselves.

In fact, with 176000 page views, and 15 million downloads of their desktop app
(I myself have been a long time user) I don't see why he didn't just pay the
99 USD and distribute it via the app store. I certainly would have payed for
it because it pains me to see my SO in bed solving sudoku with a flipping 50W
lamp in her face.

~~~
detaro
> _I don 't see why he didn't just pay the 99 USD and distribute it via the
> app store_

If I understand correctly, they can't do so since they are using undocumented
APIs that they are not allowed to use in store apps.

~~~
reticulated
That's correct. Additionally, although there are many ways to work around
these static code checks Apple performs at app review time (due to Objective
C's runtime capabilities), you can bet an app as popular as f.lux would get
pulled very quickly with potentially long-term damage to their relationship
with Apple*

(* See [https://ifixit.org/blog/7401/ifixit-app-
pulled/](https://ifixit.org/blog/7401/ifixit-app-pulled/) )

------
will_pseudonym
I usually don't get annoyed at fans wearing rose-tinted glasses (aka
fanboyism), but I feel that people sticking up for Apple here is some variant
of the Stockholm syndrome. We're heading for a world where advanced users
might not be allowed to interact with their devices because They (et al.) Know
Best. Protecting knowledgeable users from running arbitrary code is generally
a pretty solved problem. There are layers of trust in the system, and human
connections that keep the system alive. This delegation of critical thinking
to Apple is an unfortunate path.

P.S. I say all of this as someone who has recently converted to iOS from
Android after many years of loving Google Nexus devices, and wanted to see
what the integrated design of the iPhone 6s Plus was like. I absolutely don't
support ANY of the major technology companies as people who won't do the wrong
thing so that they can make more money. They're all self-interested actors! We
should never forget that. They can be just as evil as big oil or the textile
industry.

EDIT: to fix phrasing and the omission of a couple words

~~~
zanny
This is literally the capstone of iOS. You have no power, or privlidge. You
work in the languages the master wants, using the tools the master has you
buy, using the APIs the master blesses you with.

You never come close to owning the device, and you don't own your software for
it.

The greatest irony is how many walked into this with open arms, and how many
continue to praise this. iOS only thrives on the developers who sacrifice
their power to Apple's will. Apple stands atop a glass house built on lock in
and memes about how good their products are. Its the users that pledge
allegiance to that manipulation that hold it together.

~~~
blinkingled
I think years later people are going to look back and say we had it pretty
good with Windows/Linux/*BSD and x86.

I can take a bunch of OSes and run them on standard x86 hardware and
peripherals more or less, build my own OS if I want to and run my own apps
with the compilers, linkers and frameworks of my choice. Skip forward a few
years and there's a good chance that will all be gone.

x86 is also a less than ideal proposition with Intel the only game in town -
sure they are Open Source friendly for now but still it would've been a better
world where the likes of AMD and VIA were flourishing in x86 land.

~~~
parasubvert
"I think years later people are going to look back and say we had it pretty
good with Windows/Linux/*BSD and x86."

I don't agree. I grew up with Microsoft ruling the world. The biggest problem
wasn't the dictatorship, is was the poor quality of the experience in the face
of the dictatorship.

Apple has major flaws in its experience, but they're nowhere near as bad as
the dog days of Windows 98.

~~~
blinkingled
What people don't get about Microsoft is however bad they were, they
practically enabled a hugely diverse and mostly open hardware and software
ecosystem and they had to standardize and open up in order to keep it going.
Sure they had their monopolistic ways but fortunately they were reigned in for
the better.

It's disingenuous to claim user experience requires a closed and non standard
system. And besides that Microsoft and Linux distros have made steady progress
towards improving the quality and experience while still keeping the PC
ecosystem open.

------
thought_alarm
This would be a lot more interesting if f.lux was actually distributing source
code. Instead, they were just distributing a binary that you sign with your
own dev cert.

Side-loading pre-built binaries like that is a huge risk for users and never
had a chance of being tolerated by Apple. Such abuse puts the new free-tier
Xcode dev program in jeopardy.

~~~
ars
> Side-loading pre-built binaries like that is a huge risk for users

No it is not. You can do that on every single computing device out there -
except those from Apple. There is some risk if you are stupid about it, but
not huge right. A warning screen would be enough.

> never had a chance of being tolerated by Apple

It's my device, not Apple's. (Well, I would never actually buy an Apple device
because of this, but those who do buy them should have the right to install
whatever they link.)

~~~
usaphp
> its my device, not apple's

Except when a device gets highjacked or something by a malware or whatever
then user always blames the manufacturer of the OS, I guess apple knowing this
just have a strict policies about it. Apple has a right to decide how to build
and maintain their OS, they are the ones who created it, not device owners. If
device owners don't like something about it, they have an option not to
purchase it, Apple does not have an option to not sell a phone to some dumb
user who will install viruses and then complain about Apple lack of security

~~~
wolfgke
> Except when a device gets highjacked or something by a malware or whatever
> then user always blames the manufacturer of the OS

In other words, a bad swimmer blames the producer of the bathing drawers for
his bad swimming skills. I understand.

~~~
chaz72
It would be ridiculous for a bad swimmer to blame the creator of his or her
swimwear.

On the other hand, a bad swimmer might be pretty upset with the creators of
his or her _boat_ , if hypothetically the goal is to stay _out_ of the water.

It's just possible that it depends on what you expect from the device when you
buy it.

~~~
will_pseudonym
Except that for many users, they would GREATLY PREFER to have the RIGHT to
acknowledge the risks entailed, and use the device how THEY WANT TO USE IT.
They purchased a physical device, and they deserve to be able to use it how
they want. This is just another example of why the DMCA needs to be
dismantled.

~~~
chaz72
I've been spending some time trying to understand this today, and I don't
understand why such users don't just go buy a device they can root and take
full control that way. Why blame a vendor that doesn't ship what you want? Why
not just... buy what you _do_ want?

Separately: The DMCA needs to be dismantled, absolutely.

~~~
xiaoma
There's no good alternative, except maybe the MiPhone in China. Android is
pretty horrible and saddled with all kinds of Google integration.

~~~
chaz72
Well, I agree with you there (in general I mean, I don't know the miPhone). I
would love to see a truly open source handheld computer. I've thought about
picking up a Firefox OS phone. I just don't think it's Apple's job to create
it. That's not what they do.

------
shinratdr
So it's a violation of the developer agreement, that's why they pulled it? Of
course it's a violation. What do they care? They signed no such agreement and
they are not registered Apple developers.

Developing for Cydia is a violation of the developer agreement as well, that
doesn't seem to stop them. Honestly, I don't get it. It's extremely
disappointing, as the app works great but needs some fine tuning. Which we
will now never see because they capitulated that they were violating an
agreement they were never party to in the first place.

~~~
mikeash
Are you sure they are not registered Apple developers? Seems to me that their
being registered Apple developers is the simplest explanation here.

~~~
shinratdr
I suppose it's possible, but they don't have any applications under their
f.lux brand/company published anywhere. If they're just unpublished but
registered developers, then sign up for a new account under a different
identity.

The only way this threat holds any water is if there is a revenue stream or
published application they are at risk of having removed. As far as I can
tell, they have no such issue.

~~~
derefr
Theoretically, Apple could revoke/blacklist the signing certificate for the
OSX F.lux app.

~~~
sjs382
The way this was distributed, everyone who wanted to install had to sign the
binary with their own certificate.

~~~
jevinskie
Notice the parent mentioned the desktop app, not the mobile app.

------
jordanthoms
All this passionate advocacy, and they won't even mention that this is allowed
on Android (with a few apps doing it distributed through the Play Store) - or
build an Android app themselves? I get that people are iOS fans, but there
seems like a bit of Stockholm syndrome here.

~~~
Sephr
The apps that change screen gamma on Android still require root, so it's not
as easy as going to the Play Store on any device (at least the apps are on the
Play Store if you do have root though).

There are non-root apps that use an overlay instead, which can sorta help but
it's not an optimal solution.

~~~
adevine
Regardless of how it is accomplished, I use Twilight for Android, and I love
it, and it is the number one reason I can't go back to using iOS. It has made
a HUGE impact on reducing my insomnia, and I will not look at any screen
without a screen reddener within a couple hours of bedtime.

~~~
devsquid
wurd, I really like iPhones and iPads. But I find the OS hard to deal with.
Twilight is a good example. Theres also an Audiobook app I love that could not
be used on iOS. I don't want to be forced to use Safari or a rebranded Safari.
The list grows :)

------
psophis
An open source version that is not affiliated with f.lux:

[https://github.com/thomasfinch/GammaThingy/](https://github.com/thomasfinch/GammaThingy/)

~~~
walterbell
That does have visible source, but it is "All Rights Reserved".

~~~
matthewmacleod
_License

I don't know which license matches this so I'm going to write it out. You can
do what you want with the code, but do not distribute compiled copies of the
app, especially on mass download sites._

I mean, it's not quite BSD, but it's hardly 'all rights reserved'.

~~~
walterbell
That's encouraging, I was going by
[https://github.com/thomasfinch/GammaThingy/blob/2b504461c4f1...](https://github.com/thomasfinch/GammaThingy/blob/2b504461c4f1afad839513384a754398325cc429/GammaTest/mvc/controller/GammaController.m)
which has

    
    
      //  Created by Thomas Finch on 6/22/15.
      //  Copyright (c) 2015 Thomas Finch. All rights reserved.

~~~
tomf64
That's the default header created by Xcode when making a new file, I didn't
add that on purpose. I suppose I should go through and get rid of those lines.

------
robterrell
I'm kind of shocked Apple hasn't sherlocked f.lux by now -- it's such a great
feature.

~~~
jws
My guess is that it might have a negative effect on rendering energy
consumption.

In OS X you can use CoreImage to filter a view, but that has always been
excluded from iOS.

The platform perception management kicks in, they can't let all the cool kids
install a filter on top of all the rendering then complain that iPad and
iPhone battery life sucks.

In my own Sudoku program I automatically manage the screen white point by
sensing the backlight level (I'm not allowed to use the ambient light sensor,
so I watch something that watches it.) but I have to do it by changing all of
my colors everywhere I draw. It's not a big deal and works beautifully, until
you finish a puzzle and the pure iOS alert comes up in full white and burns a
hole straight through your drowsy dark adapted retinas. Then you have to go to
sleep because you have a huge afterimage floating around in the center of your
vision.

------
evo_9
Oh so they plan to incorporate this feature into iOS soon then?

~~~
fixermark
Hard to say. Sometimes Apple's OS is just legitimately missing the feature
(I'm reminded of the tricks needed to have one process render into another
process's window before QuickTime needed that feature for 10.6).

Honestly, I'm surprised more people aren't responding "Wait, why _isn't_ this
possible in iOS? Windows has had the necessary tools to do this for years."

~~~
MBCook
> Honestly, I'm surprised more people aren't responding "Wait, why _isn't_
> this possible in iOS? Windows has had the necessary tools to do this for
> years."

Not enough people care. On the grand scale the number is tiny. I'd imagine
that's because so few people have heard of this. As you said Windows has had
it for a very long time but the vast VAST majority of people dnot use it, it's
still niche.

When enough people want some (say user swappable keyboards, or Notification
Center) Apple adds it once they have a good design.

------
bkerensa
Geez Apple just keeps doing terrible on the app developer relations front. I
have talked with startup founders time and time again they tell me their iOS
apps are more barebones because Apple's policies or permissions prevent them
from implementing the same features they can implement on Android

~~~
MBCook
How is 'not publishing unlisted APIs that have been unpublished for years'
Apple 'doing terrible things'.

These guys _blatantly_ violated the TOS. There should be no surprise here. If
anything what they did was basically a stunt.

> I have talked with startup founders time and time again they tell me their
> iOS apps are more barebones because Apple's policies or permissions prevent
> them from implementing the same features they can implement on Android

Apple implements things at the pace they want. That's one of the reasons
things in iOS are generally well thought out and it's so hard for a rogue app
to destroy battery life or violate your privacy.

Apple chose the trade offs they want to make, andnit seems to be working very
well for them.

------
Kronopath
Goddamn it. Shows what I get for waiting to download it.

I found a mirror on GitHub, but I haven't verified it:
[https://github.com/jefferyleo/f.lux](https://github.com/jefferyleo/f.lux)

~~~
walterbell
Can someone who downloaded yesterday please publish a sha256sum of the zip (or
each file in the directory tree), for comparison with the github mirror?

~~~
dubroff
9a5da2e28a1d0633f9940bb3242d9efac28385a27d5882d5b14345e4c0b4b0bb

I think I did this right. I ran `shasum -a 256` on the zip, but let me know if
it doesn't look quite right.

~~~
0942v8653
For various reasons (at least, metadata and the .git folder) it's very
unlikely that you'd get the exact same checksum for the entire zip... you'd
need to post the sum for each file individually if you want to compare them.

~~~
baby
> For various reasons (at least, metadata and the .git folder) it's very
> unlikely that you'd get the exact same checksum for the entire zip...

This sounds entirely wrong to me. Checksums are used all the time to verify
the integrity of archives.

~~~
StavrosK
The integrity of archives you're supposed to download from a site, not
archives you're meant to create yourself.

------
jonknee
Anyone have a mirror? Installing it was on my todo list today.

~~~
orik
I've sent you the code.

------
scrumper
Curious what the violation of the developer program agreement is. It contained
a binary, presumably signed, so maybe that's it?

I downloaded it this morning, very excited to try it as I can't stand the blue
glow of my phone after dark.

~~~
JohnTHaller
Apple won't let apps use APIs that aren't officially approved. Officially
approved APIs can't do the things that flux needs to do. So, no flux on iOS in
the App Store. The flux developers put together a beta that used said APIs and
made it available for sideloading. Apple killed that off as well by
threatening to kill their account due to a violation of the Developer
Agreement which prohibits distributing your app anywhere but the App Store.
Apple will only let apps onto iOS devices via the App Store. No side loading,
no direct downloads, no third party app stores.

~~~
robterrell
But exactly is the term they violated?

You don't have to be in the Apple developer program to post an Xcode project
on a web site. Nor to download Xcode, since it comes free from the Mac App
Store.

~~~
JohnTHaller
Lowercase free is not the same as uppeprcase Free. Xcode is freeware (as in no
cost) but it has a restrictive 14 page license attached to it that you must
agree to to use it.
[https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/xcode.pdf](https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/xcode.pdf)

You can only allow third parties to install your app on their devices for
testing if you have written approval from Apple.

You can only use a limited number of devices that you/your company own for
testing.

Your license to use Xcode, the SDKs, and release software for iOS can be
revoked at any time: "Apple reserves the right to revoke, disable or suspend
any Provisioning Profiles or any access to the device deployment and
provisioning features of the Apple Software and Services at any time, in its
sole discretion. By way of example, Apple may do this if Apple has reason to
believe that Apple IDs were fraudulently obtained, that an unreasonable number
of devices have been entered into the Apple Software, and/or that the Services
are being used in a fraudulent, suspicious, or improper manner."

~~~
pbhjpbhj
> it has a restrictive 14 page license attached to it that you must agree to
> to use it //

That you're _supposed_ to agree to. What proportion of the users of Xcode do
you suppose have even read that license?

Also the license doesn't prevent you using it, though it possibly prevents you
from legally using it for commercial purposes in most developed nations.

With the recent case concerning sending data abroad to process to circumvent
patent restrictions it seems that f.lux could just have someone in a country
with no copyright/license restrictions download Xcode, compile and make
available the software. Apple Computers after all wouldn't own code created
with Xcode, which would be a technical rather than artistic work anyhow, so
there doesn't appear to be a problem of copyright.

Apple could likely still pull strings that the f.lux people wouldn't find
helpful however (maybe the devs have other apps that Apple could block, for
example).

~~~
cortesoft
I am not sure what you mean by 'supposed to' agree to the license. You are
correct in that the license doesn't self-enforce, but legally you have agreed
to follow the license when you download the code. So, Apple can take legal
action to enforce compliance with the license, which is what they did whey
they sent a C&D notice to f.lux.

A license can restrict non-commercial purposes, too (as long as they aren't
purposes protected by law, e.g. fair use). While it is true that most
companies only go after license violators who are using the software for
commercial purposes, that is only for practical reasons, not legal.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
>but legally you have agreed to follow the license //

I'd say "are bound by the license" \- however if you download Xcode from the
app store do you get "adequate notice" of the browse-wrap license?

Can't personally inspect the license from
[https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewEula?...](https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewEula?id=497799835&mt=12)
as it redirects saying one needs the Mac App Store to do that.

A license can restrict use, but copyright concerns copying. They allow copying
of the code, which is necessary for use, but attempt to acquire acquiescence
to their license terms. I'm not sure however as there is no consideration how
users can be considered to be under license. In short if the copying is fair-
use, which it looks like it reasonably could be, then how can the use be
controlled?

~~~
netheril96
The first time you start Xcode you have to agree to a license or it won't
open. So, that is the time you make the deal, or, sell your soul.

~~~
AUmrysh
What if they, hypothetically, developed their code with a separate
toolchain/IDE and didn't use xcode at all? Are they still bound by the terms
of it, or is it the users compiling the app to put on their phones bound by
it? I'm also pretty sure advocating people violate a license agreement isn't
illegal, or did Apple get an exemption for the first amendment?

I realize f.lux was distributing a compiled binary instead of telling people
to compile it from source, but I think Apple would have sent them a C&D just
the same if it were just source.

------
mortenjorck
This is tough. On one hand, there's obviously a demand (of which I am part)
for f.lux, but on the other, 15 million downloads, despite being a respectably
big number, barely registers compared to an install base that can grow by 75
million in a single quarter. Using private APIs does negatively impact the
iPhone experience (witness the constant screen wakes in the pulled Xcodeproj),
and making those APIs public has development overhead – As big as the iOS team
may be, its human resources are finite (even if Apple's cash reserves are
barely so).

That said... What percentage of Apple's user base lives with disabilities?
What percentage is visually impaired; what percentage has motor difficulties?
These are clearly worthy, comparatively small populations of users that Apple
devotes an otherwise-inordinate amount of development resources to. Maybe it's
time Apple considers melanopsin sensitivity worthy of admitting to this
circle.

~~~
wpietri
It seems to me that there could be a half-way model. Some permissions are
surely problematic to give to everybody. But perhaps they could then not give
them to absolutely everybody? One option would be to require preapproval. The
other would be to say that they are sensitive, such that Apple gives apps that
use them a much lower threshold for complaints.

~~~
madeofpalk
People don't seem to take to nicely to Apple when they give preferential
treatment for developers and allow some to access APIs that others can't.

------
walterbell

      repost from yesterday's thread
    

We can only hope that control of blue light emissions will be natively
implemented by all phone and tablet manufacturers, to protect the future
health of billions of humans. Here are some articles about the impact of blue
light on eyes and sleep.

[http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2014/04/23/7-things-can-
righ...](http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2014/04/23/7-things-can-right-now-
protect-vision/), _" Blue light is able to pass through what is called the
retinohypothalamic tract, or pathway. This pathway is responsible for
regulating our circadian rhythm and a number of other biological and
behavioral processes."_

[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831986/](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831986/),
_" Hastings and Sweeney’s paper, published in the December 1958 Biological
Bulletin, gathered dust for decades. No one thought these findings might hold
any relevance for humans, whose circadian rhythms were then widely believed to
be relatively insensitive to light. But scientific discoveries in the past two
decades have changed all that."_

[https://theconversation.com/a-dark-night-is-good-for-your-
he...](https://theconversation.com/a-dark-night-is-good-for-your-
health-39161), _" In the last decade or two it has become clear that the genes
which control the endogenous circadian rhythm (the “clock genes”) also control
a large part of our entire genome including genes for metabolism (how we
process the food we eat), DNA damage response (how we are protected from toxic
chemicals and radiation), and cell cycle regulation and hormone production
(how our cells and tissues grow)."_

There is room lighting with low-blue content, e.g. the G.E. Align PM bulb,
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PLR3M0M](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PLR3M0M)
& [https://gigaom.com/2014/09/01/what-is-the-blue-light-from-
ou...](https://gigaom.com/2014/09/01/what-is-the-blue-light-from-our-screens-
really-doing-to-our-eyes/), _" It remains unclear whether our screens
themselves will soon emit less blue light — Hansler is pessimistic because he
says that changing the amount of blue light will be like admitting that the
screens are causing health problems, and lawsuits could ensue."_

~~~
chucksmash
> We can only hope that control of blue light emissions will be natively
> implemented by all phone and tablet manufacturers, to protect the future
> health of billions of humans.

A little hyperbolic there, no? I'm surprised to hear this is even a problem
that exists.

------
ndreckshage
Next best - [http://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-dim-your-ios-
scr...](http://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-dim-your-ios-screen-with-
an-accessibility-setting-trick/)

------
daniiyyel
Has anyone tried GoodNight [1] on iOS?

> Based off of Thomas Finch's "GammaThingy"

> GoodNight is an app that allows you to directly access the screen's gamma
> levels, and modify it using IOMobileFramebuffer. With this you can do any of
> the following: Change the screen temperature, Put the brightness lower than
> iOS would normally allow you to, Adjust the RGB values of the framebuffer

> This application uses dlsym, which loads in the private symbols at runtime,
> rather than using headers, so no additional setup is needed once you
> download the source.

[1]
[https://github.com/anthonya1999/GoodNight](https://github.com/anthonya1999/GoodNight)

------
ypeterholmes
Solution: hire them and include as an improved system setting. Obviously
people want this.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Isn't the Apple way to invite them in to talk about their software intimating
a buyout then incorporate the software features and sideline the other
company?

Just from a misremembered story I can't pull up from memory about Steve Jobs
interactions with a music/audio software company in the earlier days of Apple.

~~~
Steko
No, you misremembered it. Apple set up a meeting with Panic (makers of Audion)
but they had to cancel because they were trying to get bought out by Aol.
Apple ended up buying competitor SoundJam to use as the basis of iTunes and
then still offered to hire the Audion devs but they declined.

[https://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/](https://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/)

If you're looking for 10-15 year old story where Apple famously ate someone's
lunch then Sherlock/Watson and Konfabulator/Dashboard are some of the more
prominent examples but those are fairly obvious directions for OS makers to
fill.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Cool, thanks will revisit when I've chance to mitigate against misremembering
again in the future ... I think it was parts such as:

>"We also seem to remember Jobs painted us a vibrant (but genuinely honest)
picture of how he viewed Audion fairing against iTunes:

    
    
        "It's like you guys are a little push-cart going down the railroad tracks, and we're a giant steam engine about to run you down."
    

//

That gave me the impression that stuck with me. Thanks for the sourced
correction.

------
KyleBrandt
Atwood captured this well in the past: [http://blog.codinghorror.com/serving-
at-the-pleasure-of-the-...](http://blog.codinghorror.com/serving-at-the-
pleasure-of-the-king/)

------
ryan-allen
This is why I much prefer using Android devices. Apple and their grandiose
pretense think they know what's best for us, I prefer a bit more control. It's
so sad because they do make the best hardware!

------
scarface74
I don't get it. Is Apple against programmers publishing their own source code?
If the authors are giving away the code anyway why not just put it on GitHub
and let anyone clone it and use it?

~~~
provemewrong
It wasn't the source code, it was an XCode project with an unsigned binary.

f.lux isn't open source.

~~~
scarface74
Ahhh. In that case, I can understand why Apple wouldn't want to encourage
this. if he just open sourced it, Apple wouldn't care about him distributing
it or using private APIs.

------
MikeKusold
I setup a shortcut on my iPhone. When I triple tap the home button, my screen
becomes dimmer than the dimmest setting on a MBP. If I triple tap again, it
returns to the previous brightness settings.

How to: [http://lifehacker.com/toggle-your-iphones-brightness-
with-a-...](http://lifehacker.com/toggle-your-iphones-brightness-with-a-home-
button-trip-1651329242)

~~~
jedberg
That adjusts brightness, not color temperature. Color temperature is what
changes your circadian rhythm and prevents proper sleep.

~~~
burke
I haven't read any research on this, but this feels incorrect. If this is
true, staring at red-tinged floodlight should do less to keep you awake than
looking at a blue LED with masking tape over it.

It feels more likely that this is related to excitation of S cones -- which
dimming the screen without changing the colour temperature would also
accomplish, to a degree.

~~~
Domenic_S
Gettin' awful feelsy in here. No need to feel, they aggregated a bunch of the
research here:
[https://justgetflux.com/research.html](https://justgetflux.com/research.html)

~~~
burke
So according to that (or a quick skim thereof), it's not the overall colour
temperature, but the intensity of absorbed light in the ~480nm range.

In other words, dimming the screen should be at least somewhat effective.

------
kevinSuttle
Gah. I have the zip, but didn't archive the instructions. Wayback Machine,
you're my only hope.

~~~
graeme
Scroll down the page, they're still there:
[https://justgetflux.com/sideload/](https://justgetflux.com/sideload/)

~~~
dannysu
403 Forbidden now

~~~
walterbell
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10557004](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10557004)

~~~
kevinSuttle
Exemplification of why Evernote chose an elephant for their mascot.
[https://www.evernote.com/shard/s176/sh/24469950-c7cc-4e27-bc...](https://www.evernote.com/shard/s176/sh/24469950-c7cc-4e27-bcac-a6ee343130ba/132ccd61aaa50ad14377a5318f2b27e6)

------
skc
Incredible how developers are always ever so gosh darn polite when complaining
about Apple, who in turn tend to respond/not respond in a blatantly passive-
aggressive manner.

And on and on it goes.

------
mwharrison
Is there anything stopping you from throwing this up on Github with a CC non-
commercial license, or does that also break the Apple Developer Agreement?

~~~
thinkmac
Problem is that it is pointless, because the f.lux is released as a binary..
it is not like we can just look at the source code to change the 1900K to
whatever temperature we wanted

------
ex3ndr
May be just app developers integrate something like this to their apps? I
believe that people spend most of their times in one-two applications.

------
bunkydoo
Namely why I stopped using an iPhone long ago, damn these bastards for making
such good computers though...

~~~
thinkmac
It is still a matter of opinion really.

My 2010 Macbook Pro heats up and has fan going off crazy, and my 2008 ThinkPad
T400 is sitting next to the MBP, just chugging away like a champ.

If you are talking about user interface, I agree on that. But hardware wise, I
am not that impressed. However, if you do run into hardware issues, AppleCare
is excellent.

------
rajacombinator
Well I got screwed and couldn't obtain the original version (was in airport at
the time) but I seem to have obtained an alternate. Been waiting for this for
years, no surprise Apple tried to screw users immediately.

------
cheshire137
Soooo who has a mirror where I can download it for myself?

------
andreash
does it still work if you have the xcode-project? (downloaded the file
yesterday, but never tried it out)

------
atomical
Just go with Android. Less hassle.

~~~
hundchenkatze
flux isn't available on Android either.

~~~
izacus
Twilight is:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux&hl=en)

------
Spooky23
Why the shock? This is iOS.

There are a lot of compelling and expedient reasons why iOS is the way it is.
Apple isn't the only player on the market, and they aren't misleading or a
monopolist like IBM was in the 80s or Microsoft in the 90s.

As for why can't you do on iOS what you can do on your Mac... Apple doesn't
want the types of problems that android has.

~~~
harryh
You're right this is not like Microsoft in the 1990s. It's significantly worse
than that. Microsoft, for all their faults, constantly championed developers
on their platform. Just think of that Steve Balmer "Developers! Developers!
Developers!" video.

Apple, on the other hand, consistently treats developers on its platform with
nothing but disdain.

~~~
Spooky23
Worse -- For developers. Apple's customers are users.

Users benefit from a secure system, mostly safe applications and consistent
UI.

The consequence of Microsoft's fuck-the-user, go developer philosophy has been
over a decade a pain for the users. That's why Dell and HP are giving away PCs
under cost while giving up share, while Apple is growing and making a killing.

------
ents
Good. As a professional photo retoucher, I hate that app.

~~~
jedberg
Why? It even has a feature to turn it off for doing color sensitive work.

------
FussyZeus
Speaking as an iOS developer, you do not screw with the fruit.

> Developer learns iOS > Developer uses private APIs (which is neither easy,
> or allowed per the terms they agreed to) > Developer sends in app for
> approval, is rejected for above because duh > Developer whines on the
> Internet and gets a bunch of people angry at Apple, who likely will not
> change.

You know I feel the need to point out that Apple doesn't lock us out of code
to be mean, they do it because it ensures their devices don't suck, because we
as developers do not have access to the system level things that can make them
suck.

~~~
mikeash
How does forcing someone to take down an Xcode project hosted on their own web
site help to ensure that my iPhone doesn't suck?

~~~
natch
It doesn't help to ensure anything. But having binaries out there that anyone
is encouraged to sign and install, with no way to know what hidden features
are there in what projects, is not a very well thought out model if Apple
wants to make suckage less likely.

~~~
mikeash
How is it any different than having binaries on the App Store that anyone is
encouraged to install, with no way to know what hidden features are there in
any of them?

~~~
natch
As you well know, upon upload for App Store submission, Apple runs processes
that scan those binaries for use of private APIs. Admittedly imperfect
processes, yes, but different from having no processes whatsoever.

~~~
mikeash
I get why Apple does it, but this prohibition increases my device's suck
rather than decreasing it, since it locks out some potentially-useful apps.

~~~
natch
Yes they are balancing the cost/benefit equation of the untold levels of
damage to consumers and to Apple itself potentially done by bad apps on one
side, versus the relatively less impactful in their judgement benefits of
potentially useful apps on the other side. The assessment that this increases
the device's suck relies on an certain assumptions about just how bad the
damages could possibly be, assumptions that you make, but that they are
reluctant to make on behalf of their users.

~~~
mikeash
What potential for damage exists here that doesn't also exist for their
millions of App Store apps?

~~~
natch
Do you think that it might be possible that different inputs to a situation
could lead to different likelihoods for various outcomes?

