If you have been using Ubuntu for any length of time then you will remember Automatix, the automated installer that pulled in all of the codecs, apps and anything else you could imagine, all in the name of giving a perfect out of the box experience.
Perfect, that is, until the conflicts started piling up, leading to the complete borkage of your system. Automatix finally went away, and there was relative sanity in the Ubuntu world for a brief period of time. No more.
Ultamatix promises to do what Automatix did, for Ubuntu, Ubuntu Ultimate, and Debian (though it is still completely untested on Debian). Instead of relying on the sanity of the excellent package manager present in those distributions, one can download the deb, launch the script and fling all caution to the winds. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
Where the idea of ootb originally came from is somewhat of a mystery; installing *any* system requires some tweaking, adding apps, and updating. Some Operating Systems more than others.
Perhaps Linux has acted as a sort of spoiler; on a recent re-install of Windows XP SP2 (not my own machine) due to contact with the internet (spyware, etc), it was a shock to see that even with a ethernet cable attached that one could not just connect to the internet. Never mind wireless, that was out of the question.
Using a Ubuntu Hardy livecd and a DreamLinux (Debian-based) livecd had not only ethernet, but wireless, and all the codecs one could ever want or need, as well a plethora of apps for every imaginable purpose in a matter of minutes.
You will need to tweak your install, whether it is Mac, Windows, or Linux; do so in a sane and responsible manner and the possibilities of conflicts, breakage, and complete system failure will be minimized, at least in the first and last instances. Quick fix is just another way of saying quickly needs to be fixed. Spend the extra bit of time in Synaptic, Software Update, or Random Website for Ubuntu, Mac, and Windows respectively.
Posted by fareast 
