Is Palm Ever Going To Stop Approving "Propaganda-Apps"?

[the2ndflood]

I have noticed for a while now that the Palm App Store has been allowing a lot of Propaganda-Apps. Apps that are just used to push a developers own point of view. And these developers keep updating the apps every few days; so the apps can remain at the top of the store. As an example; there is a developer who keeps updating his Anti-Barack Obama and Pro-George Bush apps. He keeps making (So-Called) updates; when in reality, the apps seem to be the same nonsense. But the developer keeps sending the updates to Palm's App Store; where his apps get push right back to the top of the page. And seeing as Obama is more then likely going to be the president of the USA until at least 2013; that means this developer is going to update their garbage app for years!

So why isn't Palm doing anything about this? If a person wants to submit a Propaganda-App; then it should just stay at top until the next set of new apps come out. But this (Bumping) feature of the app store, is instead being abuse by so much nonsense.

For me; everyday I log into the different App Store's; it feels as if it were my Birthday. Because there is so many new apps to play with. But now I find myself not only having to sort through the Spam, but more and more of the Propaganda-Apps as well.

So is it possible for Palm to stop allowing the Bump Feature to be used by Propaganda-Apps, and only allow it to apply to legitimate apps? Apps where the devloper spent countless hours making and updating the apps, for a legitimate purpose. Not just some app where the developer keeps wanting to push a point or issue.

[jhoff80]

Palm has made a decision to not regulate based on content, best I can tell.

The problem with censoring, is where do you draw the line between allowed and not allowed. Since Apple has had some issues with this, it seems that Palm is just letting anything in, content-wise.

[HelloNNNewman]

I'm not taking any side what-so-ever... but I wonder if you would have the same viewpoint and post in bold if it were reversed to anti-Bush and pro-Obama.

Not getting into a political discussion... just wondering if you would show the same outrage if the tables were turned.

[ISU_phoria]

The "no-bama" app is nowhere near "Propaganda". Just because you don't share the same viewpoint, doesn't make it inappropriate. The app is a simple countdown until Obama's Presidency is over. Propaganda is spreading lies.

Frankly, many people share that developer's desire to see Obama leave office and the number is growing daily.

It's pretty easy to just ignore something like that if you don't like it!

[the2ndflood]

Originally Posted by jhoff80

Palm has made a decision to not regulate based on content, best I can tell.

The problem with censoring, is where do you draw the line between allowed and not allowed. Since Apple has had some issues with this, it seems that Palm is just letting anything in, content-wise.

Palm doesn't have to stop the apps from being posted, but they should stop letting every little stupid change in the app be considered an update. If an honest developer spends a few night writing code to fix a bug, or add a feature; then I can understand why the updates get Bumped back to the top. But if the developer just keeps changing basic things (Spelling, Names, Punctuation, Ect); then the app shouldn't be Bumped. Because it's not a real update.

[solarus]

I don't want Palm regulating content. They have better things to do. What I wouldn't mind though is a way to filter content in a way that allows the end user to decide what they see and don't see in the catalog.

[alex.dobeck]

I'm actually more sick of the Brighthouse Lab and single Book apps, it'd be really nice if we could actually block certain Publishers.



Also - ISU_phoria, Propaganda is material which attempts to sway people toward any idea, it is not necessarily lies. The mentioned app is pushing the idea that Obama is bad and provides a day when we'll be free of him, which would technically be Propaganda. Now if it was just "Presidency Countdown" and did the same thing it could be considered impartial and simply informational.

For instance, I would consider Fox and CNN propaganda machines because as journalists they should be fully impartial, which clearly isn't the case.

[the2ndflood]

Originally Posted by ISU_phoria

The "no-bama" app is nowhere near "Propaganda". Just because you don't share the same viewpoint, doesn't make it inappropriate. The app is a simple countdown until Obama's Presidency is over. Propaganda is spreading lies.

Frankly, many people share that developer's desire to see Obama leave office and the number is growing daily.

It's pretty easy to just ignore something like that if you don't like it!

Then if you want to see it, then download it. But the rest of us sjoukdnt keep seeing the stupid, pointless app be Bumped back to the top of the list? If I made some app where I hate Something/Something; then that app is meant to be downloaded by certin people. But with the Bump-Feature; these developers just keep making their apps be seen over and over again!

The Palm app store shouldn't be about trying to Convert people. That isn't the point.

[glassadam]

I agree with OP and if I were him would resent the implication that this post would not exist if the tables were turned (ie if it were a pro-Obama app). It's great that there's a countdown app; we all get it. Cool cool whatever. But it's space being taken away from apps that truly are useful, that could probably use the exposure and arguably deserve it more.

That said, I'm glad for Palm's hands-off approach. Things could be worse than just some overexposure of useless, agenda-pushing apps.

[the2ndflood]

Okay, let me put it this way. I'm not*Religious at all. So what if I created an app wherein I made fun of a*Religion? Then I kept making pointless updates; so my app would keep getting Bumped back to the top of the page. How would that make you feel? I'm using my point-of-view in an app, and then keep throwing it into other people's faces. That is what these Prooganda-Apps keep doing! Forcing 1 persons views, onto everyone else.

Apps should be something useful, not be used to push an ideal. But by updating the apps every few days; that is what they are trying to do. It's an App-Store, not a Propaganda Tool!

[Colonel Kernel]

Knock it off with the bold text. You actually hurt the point you're trying to make.

[gilesjp1]

Originally Posted by ISU_phoria

The "no-bama" app is nowhere near "Propaganda". Just because you don't share the same viewpoint, doesn't make it inappropriate.

Both the Bush app and the Obama app are propaganda. Whenever you have information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc its propaganda and yes its inappropriate as well. A persons point of view does not change the definition of propaganda.

[HelloNNNewman]

I do agree with your main point of developers making a supposed "update" to move their application back up to the top of the app catalog list. I'm not pro either side of the political fence. But I do think its amusing to see people suddenly upset with something the other side of the fence endured during the last administration. That being said - don't take it as my personal stance. It just strikes me as definitively ironic.

@glassadam... my point wasn't an 'implication' as you put it. I was just placing a query out there and you chose to take it in a defensive way.

I do wish Palm would handle 'updated' apps a little differently - perhaps having a 'recently updated' category instead of bumping updates in the main catalog. Oh well... the whole catalog is still a work in progress and took Apple a couple of years to smooth theirs out (which they still have the same issue as this).

[jjeffcoat]

Originally Posted by the2ndflood

Palm doesn't have to stop the apps from being posted, but they should stop letting every little stupid change in the app be considered an update. If an honest developer spends a few night writing code to fix a bug, or add a feature; then I can understand why the updates get Bumped back to the top. But if the developer just keeps changing basic things (Spelling, Names, Punctuation, Ect); then the app shouldn't be Bumped. Because it's not a real update.

I've had the NObama app since the day it hit the app catalog and it's been been updated twice - the first update added a soundboard, the most recent fixed parts of the soundboard that didn't work.

BTW, that app has nearly 11,000 downloads so I'm guessing there's reasonable market for it. Contrast the Brighthouse apps that have 0 downloads and quotes you can get for free on the internet.

[Colonel Kernel]

That Bush app is not Pro Bush with quotes like, "food on your family."

[solarus]

Originally Posted by the2ndflood

Okay, let me put it this way. I'm not*Religious at all. So what if I created an app wherein I made fun of a*Religion? Then I kept making pointless updates; so my app would keep getting Bumped back to the top of the page. How would that make you feel? I'm using my point-of-view in an app, and then keep throwing it into other people's faces. That is what these Prooganda-Apps keep doing! Forcing 1 persons views, onto everyone else.

Apps should be something useful, not be used to push an ideal. But by updating the apps every few days; that is what they are trying to do. It's an App-Store, not a Propaganda Tool!

If you want to do that then have at it. I personally agree that apps should be more useful than recipes from one town, or about political view points of all sorts b/c they don't serve a purpose for me. However they do serve a purpose for others. It may be annoying having to flick through a bunch of lame app titles to get to the ones we are interested in but that's the nature of the beast.

If I wanted restricted content I'd buy an iPhone. Palm should focus on the OS and hardware. As I said earlier, a content filter that allows the user to not see apps from certain developers would be a nice way to solver your problem without having anyone censor content in the catalog.

[jjeffcoat]

Originally Posted by solarus

If I wanted restricted content I'd buy an iPhone. Palm should focus on the OS and hardware. As I said earlier, a content filter that allows the user to not see apps from certain developers would be a nice way to solver your problem without having anyone censor content in the catalog.

Even with their "restricted content" I've heard that the iPhone has hundreds and hundreds of pointless apps. How many ways to make fart sounds does a person need?

[jjeffcoat]

Originally Posted by Colonel Kernel

That Bush app is not Pro Bush with quotes like, "put food on their family."

Heh-heh... I recall that when Dan Quayle was vice-president there was a book in the bookstores that chronicled all his funny stupid remarks. Sold like hotcakes!

[gilesjp1]

Originally Posted by jjeffcoat

Heh-heh... I recall that when Dan Quayle was vice-president there was a book in the bookstores that chronicled all his funny stupid remarks. Sold like hotcakes!

LOL, there was a book called "rush limbaugh is a big fat idiot" and it was so popular they made the author Al Franken who was a 2nd rate comedian the senator of Minnesota. So yeah, people eat that stuff up.

[deltatko1]

Its called FREEDOM. The dev has the freedom to make the apps, we as users have the freedom to download them or not. If you don't like it, don't download it. Its very simple, not everything has to appeal to everyone and hopefully some day the whiners out there will stop with the censorship, all it does is hurt everyone.