Automatix does not remove the Ubuntu-Desktop metapackage. Also no one is saying what system file is supposedly overwritten. They just keep repeating it was a system file. It sounds like a broken record. Look at the script if you want to know exactly what system files AX touches. You may be surprised to find it is not that many and none are overwritten.
No one has ever been banned from #automatix for asking for help. If they were banned it was because they were rude or spamming the channel. I know several people banned from #ubuntu just for asking a legitimate question seveas did not like.
"Automatix is simple, and easy to use. It'll automatically install a lot of important stuff -- but it does so in a bad way. Overwriting files, removing dependencies, messing up the ubuntu-desktop metapackage -- name a brute-force method to deal a low blow to your package management system, and Automatix does it in ways that make developers cringe."
I am on the Automatix team and none of the things you suggest above (except the easy to use part) is true. Have you looked at the code recently for AX2? AX does not use --force-yes, --force-overwrite or any other brute methods for installation and has not done so since the early Breezy days.
Automatix does not overwrite any system files without making a time,date stamped backup. In fact AX does not overwrite files but might add a line to say Xorg to change the driver name from nv to nvidia.
Since AX uses apt-get or dpkg to install everything it does nothing to damage the package system. On top of that all the software is removable from AX if one wishes to do so. The ubuntu-desktop metapackage is not even touched by Automatix so it does no damage to it.
Quote:
"This is not usually a problem initially, but eventually you end up paying the piper; when it's time to update to the next version, things break, and it's Automatix's fault. A large portion of problems people experienced moving from Dapper to Edgy were caused by Automatix; Automatix refused to support those problems, and claimed it was our fault. I don't have a problem with Automatix existing, but until they take responsibility for the problems they cause, I'm not going to go recommending it to users. It does more harm than good."
This is an outright lie. Upgrading was a disaster from Dapper to Edgy for everyone including those who did not use AX. We have no problem supporting issues caused by Automatix when they can be proven to be caused by Automatix. No one has ever sent us a list of the specific problems caused and what in Automatix was responsible.
If the upgrading problems were the result of Automatix, then why is the upgrading experience so much different for those from Edgy to Feisty? It would only be reasonable to assume that this would be repeating itself when apparently it is not.
There was a gentleman on IRC last night that upgraded 4 Computers he had that used Automatix. Not one of them were broken after the upgrade.
Automatix in it's very early days did use some shoddy methods. Those have all been resolved now and have not been used in almost a year. If you want to examine the source code, download the deb and extract it. All of the source code is contained in the deb for anyone to inspect.
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Automatix does not remove the Ubuntu-Desktop metapackage. Also no one is saying what system file is supposedly overwritten. They just keep repeating it was a system file. It sounds like a broken record. Look at the script if you want to know exactly what system files AX touches. You may be surprised to find it is not that many and none are overwritten. No one has ever been banned from #automatix for asking for help. If they were banned it was because they were rude or spamming the channel. I know several people banned from #ubuntu just for asking a legitimate question seveas did not like.
Quote:
"Automatix is simple, and easy to use. It'll automatically install a lot of important stuff -- but it does so in a bad way. Overwriting files, removing dependencies, messing up the ubuntu-desktop metapackage -- name a brute-force method to deal a low blow to your package management system, and Automatix does it in ways that make developers cringe."
I am on the Automatix team and none of the things you suggest above (except the easy to use part) is true. Have you looked at the code recently for AX2? AX does not use --force-yes, --force-overwrite or any other brute methods for installation and has not done so since the early Breezy days.
Automatix does not overwrite any system files without making a time,date stamped backup. In fact AX does not overwrite files but might add a line to say Xorg to change the driver name from nv to nvidia.
Since AX uses apt-get or dpkg to install everything it does nothing to damage the package system. On top of that all the software is removable from AX if one wishes to do so. The ubuntu-desktop metapackage is not even touched by Automatix so it does no damage to it.
Quote:
"This is not usually a problem initially, but eventually you end up paying the piper; when it's time to update to the next version, things break, and it's Automatix's fault. A large portion of problems people experienced moving from Dapper to Edgy were caused by Automatix; Automatix refused to support those problems, and claimed it was our fault. I don't have a problem with Automatix existing, but until they take responsibility for the problems they cause, I'm not going to go recommending it to users. It does more harm than good."
This is an outright lie. Upgrading was a disaster from Dapper to Edgy for everyone including those who did not use AX. We have no problem supporting issues caused by Automatix when they can be proven to be caused by Automatix. No one has ever sent us a list of the specific problems caused and what in Automatix was responsible.
If the upgrading problems were the result of Automatix, then why is the upgrading experience so much different for those from Edgy to Feisty? It would only be reasonable to assume that this would be repeating itself when apparently it is not.
There was a gentleman on IRC last night that upgraded 4 Computers he had that used Automatix. Not one of them were broken after the upgrade.
Automatix in it's very early days did use some shoddy methods. Those have all been resolved now and have not been used in almost a year. If you want to examine the source code, download the deb and extract it. All of the source code is contained in the deb for anyone to inspect.
mstlyevil