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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."

2 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I think it screws up when upgrading. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    solaris. Sending an audio file to /dev/audiof will play it. They use a plugin architecture to play the files, but wav, aiff, au, and mp3 support are standard.

  2. Re:Illegal? by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Neither, in some countries it can be used to obtain illegal software...Automatix in itself is no more illegal than Firefox or Internet Explorer Exactly. I can download the same packages that it does with any Web browser or wget. The summary is inaccurate when it says that the package is 'illegal'. If the package is illegal, then so is Firefox and wget, both of which can be used to download packages that may be in violation of the DMCA or of patent laws or of the GPL (as in the case of nVidia or ATI drivers).

    As TFA points out, it also gives dubious legal advice. Downloading MP3 codecs or Win32 codecs is far from a crime in the United States. For example, for the Microsoft-created codecs like WMA or WMV, Microsoft only requests that you have a Windows license in order to download them, but does nothing to prevent you from downloading them (WGA checks are not required, for instance.) It could be argued that as long as one has a valid Windows license, using them on Linux is not illegal. As for MP3 or other patent-encumbered codecs, it is a violation of patent law to distribute such codecs. Whether it is a violation of patent law to use or download these codecs without paying a license is a legal gray area.

    OTOH, downloading libdvdcss may, in fact, be a violation of the DMCA.

    Note that I'm not a lawyer, and if you're looking for legal advice, go pay one.

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