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Automatix Kicks Ubuntu into Gear
With the growing amount of talk on the usability of Linux for beginners, there have been quite a few people who have mentioned a script called "Automatix" for Ubuntu as a means of easing the average joe into a life of Linux. Linux.com's (a Slashdot sister site) Tina Gasperson takes a closer look at Automatix and how it could help soften the blow of a Linux switch, at least in the short term. From the article: "Automatix lives up to its reputation. It's worth any time and small frustration it might take to get through the script. And it's even worth that 'over-the-shoulder' time you might spend with a new Linux user to walk them through it. I don't see any reason why a beginner would not be delighted with Ubuntu after a magic touch from Automatix."
I would like to gently suggest that what you want misses the point of Linux. If installing was just a matter of pushing a single button, then you wouldn't have any choice about how your system is run. There would be no partitioning your drives like you want, specifying network peculiarites, etc. There would not be the freedom to hack your system like you choose, less freedom to play 'what if' with settings and so on.
It's like buying a muscle car and treating it like a city bus. I don't want to ride the thing, I want to drive it.
And that's the best way I can explain it. Linux lets you drive. And in doing so, it necessarily requires that you know (and do) more than you need to just to ride.
To beat this analogy completely to death (and to get a little partisan here), I suppose Windows does let you drive, but only on pre-approved Microsoft-certified highways, which a verified safe (but aren't) and you have to pay extra fees based on mileage.