Automatix - an essential add-on that further mainstreams Ubuntu

As I grow increasingly fond of my Kubuntu install, I'm looking for any avenues that might make it even easier for the average ed tech guy (or girl) to deploy on the average PC in our environment.  While the setup is largely straightforward, there are a few niggles that make it a bit less plug and play than Windows or Mac.  Flash support on 64-bit systems, for example, requires one to jump through a few hoops of fire.  Similarly, DVD and MP3 decoding are not enabled and several multimedia plugins for the various media players are at least a few command lines away from functionality.

Before anyone gets themselves too worked up over my aversion to the command line, keep in mind that for all intents and purposes, Windows and OSX are totally point and click, a real boon for the average ed tech staffer.  Most of us are too tired and overworked to spend time banging away at a command line when there are straightforward graphical alternatives.  Most distros are free, of course, and generally quite spiffy, so I'm not complaining, but the easier the better as far as I'm concerned.

Which is why I was delighted to find Automatix, a graphical utility that collects all sorts of useful software, multimedia apps, and tools in a single, adept-like installer.  Want a 32-bit version of Firefox with Flash support optimized to run under 64-bit Ubuntu?  Check.  VMWare server?  Check.  Google Earth and Picasa under Wine? Check.  DVD decoding plugins for several media players? Check.  The software list is remarkably extensive and it works.  I'm not dumping Windows just yet anywhere other than my own desktop (aside from the virtual machine I'm installing right now), but, as I said, the easier the better.  As more apps emerge that make Linux distros easier to install and maintain, it's going to be harder and harder to justify licensing costs.