DIGG.com: WARNING Automatix Can Break Ubuntu and Turn Your Hair Gray

[Frak]

I think at least they should come here to gripe about it instead of it not working and just assuming it sucks and then posting on sites that it sucks and turning away people from AX.

[tehkain]

Eh I have never had a big issue with it. I can see how something may go wrong tho. I just found it easier to type in one apt-get command for all the stuff I needed(tho you have to know what you want so this doe snot work for everyone). I guess I out grew the need.

[Gremlinzzz]

Automatix is a program that installs a myriad programs on Linux distributions. It’s quite useful for people that are fed up with the limited options in the regular Ubuntu package manager. However, as helpful as the program may seem, there exists a problematic side to Automatix. It seems to be breaking systems all over the world.
http://pimpyourlinux.com/linux-featu...buntu-install/

[bogolisk]

Automatix is a program that installs a myriad programs on Linux distributions. It’s quite useful for people that are fed up with the limited options in the regular Ubuntu package manager. However, as helpful as the program may seem, there exists a problematic side to Automatix. It seems to be breaking systems all over the world.
http://pimpyourlinux.com/linux-featu...buntu-install/

I've never liked things like Automatix. The great thing about Debian-based systems such as Ubuntu is the package dependency management system. It help to ensure smooth upgrades. Installing non-packaged software on your system is really back-stabbing the package-manager. It's a great recipe for broken upgrades.

If you really wanted to install extra software, learn how to use dh_make/checkinstall. They'll make the package manager aware of the software you installed.

The debian pkg-build system is awesome wrt libraries dependencies (unlike the rpm craps.) It'll automatically generate libraries dependencies for the package by parsing the binaries you just built.

By example, I just built (using dh_make) gimp-dcamnoise2. In the Depends line, I've put

Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, gimp

The Debian build system automatically expanded it to

Depends: libc6 (>= 2.5-0ubuntu1), libgimp2.0 (<< 2.3.19), libgimp2.0 (>= 2.3.18), libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.12.9), libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.10.3), libstdc++6 (>= 4.1.
2), gimp

How does it do that? look for the *.shlibs file in /var/lib/dpkg/info/ and you'll understand.

[slimdog360]

i stopped using it ages ago

[Adamant1988]

I think at least they should come here to gripe about it instead of it not working and just assuming it sucks and then posting on sites that it sucks and turning away people from AX.

Which is a move that I completely condone, and even recommend.

Oh and Arnie if you are reading this, don't go overreacting again and blast the forum/users over it. That's really getting old. >.>

Actually, I would love to see Arnie come in here and start flaming users. Maybe if he does it more more people will understand what kind of wannabe tyrant they're feeding by supporting Automatix.
**removed comment**

[jrusso2]

Never had a problem with Automatix, like everything else use at your own risk. I have seen synpatic break applications too.

[crimesaucer]

Why use it if you can install everything yourself.

[jrusso2]

Why use GUI tools? Why not do everything by hand? Why not build your own distro you can do everything yourself?

[aysiu]

Red herring.

It's often easier to point-and-click "manually" install the desired packages than to visit the Automatix website, download it, install it, and then use it to install those same packages.

The most frequently requested packages people use Automatix for can be done easily through Restricted Drivers Manager, Add/Remove Programs, easy codec installation, and/or Synaptic Package Manager.