To be honest, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with Automatix. It's just a fancy name for a decent helper script to install some things that aren't installed in a default Ubuntu setup, things that can be either time consuming or difficult, especially for newcomers.

All the drama and controversy exists because the guy who wrote/developed Automatix is very difficult to get along with. He is consistently defensive (in the extreme) when people make comments or suggestions or criticism, whether those comments have to do with technical things, licensing issues, or personality. He is demeaning toward other users. This is the only major problem with Automatix in its most current version.

There have been problems with the script itself (yes, I have read the code, both in the early versions as well as the more current version) in the early days. Those have been pretty well cleaned up. Not completely enough in some people's opinion, but I really don't believe any of the remaining issues are what is driving the controversy.