What's the general opinion on Automatix?

[Bothered]

I have seen automatix recommended quite a few times as a way to install software, and almost as many times seen warnings that it can cause problems with the system. Are people giving warnings about it being over cautious, or should it genuinely be avoided?

Incidentally, I personally have the automatix repository in my sources.list, but haven't installed automatix itself as I prefer more direct control over installation of software.

[Wiebelhaus]

I dig it , have used it for awhile without any issues , I'd recommend it to a noob quick.

But I haven't tried to upgrade with it , I'll back up everything with the next release and try it , if it fails , I'll know you need to remove it and everything it installed prior to upgrading.

[jkblacker]

Ubuntu does everything I need it to (and a bit more) without having needed it. About 3 months in now, and can do stuff by myself fine at the moment.

[orange2k]

I have seen automatix recommended quite a few times as a way to install software, and almost as many times seen warnings that it can cause problems with the system. Are people giving warnings about it being over cautious, or should it genuinely be avoided?

Incidentally, I personally have the automatix repository in my sources.list, but haven't installed automatix itself as I prefer more direct control over the software I install.

Well I use Automatix2 a lot every time I install Ubuntu. Why? Its the fastest way to get everything working. I know you can get everything installed manually, but why bother? These scripts are there for you to use them. I don`t see a reason how it could cause any problems, but I might be wrong...

[johnc4510]

I think it is better to learn how to do these things yourself instead of letting someone else do them for you. In that way, you will learn the system quicker and feel more in control of it. That being said automatix isn't bad, it is just another tool to work with. If you need something up and running quickly, it's ok. If not, it is my recommendation that you try to find the answers here on the forum. Learning is the fun part of Ubuntu.

[smoker]

i must have installed it at least a dozen times in different computers and never had a problem with it, so from my experience, i have no difficulty reccommending it.

[FoolsGold_MKII]

I used it when I was first starting to learn Ubuntu. It made life a lot easier, particularly since it prepackaged all the stuff they knew people would first want to install. But there were bugs - when I was using it, if a tool failed to install for some reason, it would be marked by Automatix as installed and you've have to click the uninstall tab, "uninstall" the tool and try again. There were other issues such as xchat trying to be installed with an extra package that conflicted with an existing package, but Automatix wasn't smart enough to deal with this.

Nowadays I do everything by hand.

[loell]

i did use automatix in the past from dapper to edgy , and i didn't have any issues with it,
currently i'm trying to test if i can avoid automatix in fiesty and am still listing the advantages and disadvantages of not having to install automatix. i think i'll be using back automatix in gutsy.

[maagimies]

I dig it, I used to do everything by hand but when I install Ubuntu systems nowadays I use Automatix to save time.
I do recommend learning to do it all yourself in case Automatix fails though.

[Xanatos Craven]

I use Automatix and haven't had a single problem with it, but I think it'd have been better if the effort that went into creating things like itself, CNR and Easy Ubuntu instead went into making it much easier to install third-party software in a vanilla Ubuntu install.