Newcomers to Linux often complain about the relative difficulty of finding and installing programs through their distro’s packaging system. And even with the relative simplicity of Ubuntu with Synaptic, it can be a hassle to find new software to try or codecs to install. If you’re among the ranks of rankled newbs running a Debian-based distro like Ubuntu, check out Automatix2.

Automatix2 is a simple graphical one-stop-shop for a variety of Linux apps, making it easy to browse through available apps, codecs, and utilities and install them without confusion. Unlike the Add/Remove Applications utility (which is simple but only includes programs), or Synaptic (which is more complicated but includes damn near everything), Automatix2 offers a compromise between the two. So you can, for instance, select Drivers, put a checkmark by Nvidia Drivers, and click Start to install your graphics card drivers easily. Or if you want to grab all the codecs you’re likely to need to play video and music on your system, you can select Codecs and Plugins and then check Multimedia Codecs.

While it does include a wide variety of options in 15 categories, Automatix2 isn’t yet a comprehensive solution. But if you’re frustrated with the app-installation experience on your Ubuntu PC, it’s a great place to find a variety of great things to install quickly and easily.

If you give Automatix2 a try, here are a few things you might want to install right away:

Chat Clients > Skype
Codecs and Plugins > Flash Player
Codecs and Plugins > MPlayer and FF Plugin
Codecs and Plugins > Multimedia Codecs
Office > Adobe Reader 7.0
Utilities > Beagle
Utilities > Liferea
Virtualization > VMware Player
Virtualization > Wine