Automatic, but with an apparent element of magic. Commonly used in computer and other technology fields, referring to complex technical processes hidden from the view of users or operators, resulting in tech that just works.
1987, Lawrence J. Peters, Advanced Structured Analysis and Design, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0130131377, page 2Throughout this text we will emphasize the employment of a systems approach to the practice of analysis and design. In it we attempt to present this portion of the software lifecycle as a discipline rather than an "automagical" (automated magic) process.
1993, Colin Harrison, Bodies Electric: A Novel, Crown Publishers, ISBN 0517584913, page 186"How're we paying you, actually?" I asked. "Certain automagical manipulations."
1994, Daniel P. Dern, The Internet Guide for New Users, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0070165114, page 490It is hoped that, over time, new e-mail list management tools will become available for users which can "automagically" determine who and how to do these…
1995, István Raskó and C. Stephen Downes, Genes in Medicine: Molecular Biology and Human Genetic Disorders, Springer, ISBN 0412373408, page 277In the more florid cases, where the diagnosis is unmistakeable, several anatomical studies (especially with automagical computerized devices, such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) have shown clear though subtle differences in the brains of schizophrenic patients…
2006, Stefan Axelsson and David Sands, Understanding Intrusion Detection Through Visualization, Springer, ISBN 0387276343, page 6These result sic indicate that the more complex the system, and the less the human feels aware of how the system is operating (i.e. to what degree it seems ’automagical’) the less effective the operator becomes in correctly identifying problematic situations and taking the necessary corrective action.
