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Automatix 'Actively Dangerous' to Ubuntu

Posted by Zonk on from the don't-tread-on-me dept.

exeme writes "Ubuntu developer Matthew Garrett has recently analyzed famed Ubuntu illegal software installer Automatix, and found it to be actively dangerous to Ubuntu desktop systems. In a detailed report which only took Garrett a couple of hours he found many serious, show-stopper bugs and concluded that Ubuntu could not officially support Automatix in its current state. Garrett also goes on to say that simple Debian packages could provide all of the functionality of Automatix without any of the problems it exhibits."

4 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Old News by solcott · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is old news, well Automatix being dangerous in general I mean not Mr. Gattett's report. Automatix has been referred to by many as a tool to "enhance" Ubuntu by lazy users who do not care about system security or stability since Breezy Badger.

  2. Re:Illegal? by solcott · · Score: 5, Informative

    Illegal for them to distribute, or illegal for the user to download? Neither, in some countries it can be used to obtain illegal software. For example giving residents of the United States the ability to play copy protected DVD's or audio compressed with mp3 without the user paying a royalty fee. Automatix in itself is no more illegal than Firefox or Internet Explorer, they are also just tools that "could" be used for illegal purposes, like viewing child pornography.
  3. Re:I think it screws up when upgrading. by Constantine+XVI · · Score: 5, Informative

    I appreciate your zeal on the subject, but if Ubuntu distributed MP3 without paying for the license in certain countries (like USA), they would be in serious legal trouble. However, in Ubuntu 7.04, it will automatically install the proper decoder for you the first time you try to play an MP3. It works, it's painless, and it's the best we can do until we get someone in Congress (or your respective national legislature) brave enough to destroy software patents.

    --
    "I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
  4. Medibuntu by alphasubzero949 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Medibuntu is a much safer way to install codecs and some third-party apps than Automatix.