This page describes how to install Debian on a MacBook Pro.

The first step is to install and run [http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/ Boot Camp]. You can skip the step that allows you to create a Macintosh Drivers CD. At the Start Windows XP Installation step, you should insert a Debian installation CD.

If you press return at the ISOLINUX prompt, the kernel may panic while enabling the IO-APIC IRQs ([http://bugs.debian.org/381719 bug 381719]). To avoid this, enter "install noapic" at the ISOLINUX prompt.

When you reach the "Install the GRUB boot loader on a hard disk" step, switch to the second virtual console by pressing ctrl-option-F2, press return to start the shell, and then enter 

 chroot /target apt-get install refit
 /target/sbin/gptsync /dev/sda

and enter y at the prompt.

Switch back to the first virtual console by pressing ctrl-option-F1 and select <Go Back> in response to the "Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record". Choose "Install the LILO boot loader on a hard disk" from the main menu and choose /dev/sda3 for the LILO installation target.

Kernel

As of linux-2.6 2.6.17-7, two patches should be applied to the linux-2.6 package:

and following configuration option should be set: 

CONFIG_USB_APPLETOUCH=m

Once you've installed such a kernel, you'll need to ensure that the appletouch module is loaded before the usbhid module. You can do so by creating a file in /etc/modprobe.d that contains the following line: 

install usbhid /sbin/modprobe appletouch && /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install usbhid $CMDLINE_OPTS

Using stock kernel and patch from svn

You can build your own kernel using the stock Linux kernel and the patches found in the [http://svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/mactel-linux/trunk/ mactel-linux SVN]. Here is the steps to follow:

X Windows System

To use the X Windows System, install the non-free fglrx-driver package and, in the Device section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf, change the driver from "ati" to "fglrx".

Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and in the Module section, add the following line: 

        Load "synaptics"

Replace the contents of the ?InputDevice section with the "Configured Mouse" identifier with the following: 

        Identifier      "Configured Mouse"
        Driver          "synaptics"
        Option          "CorePointer"
        Option          "Device"                "/dev/psaux"
        Option          "Protocol"              "auto-dev"
        Option          "MinSpeed"              "1.0"
        Option          "MaxSpeed"              "1.0"

Once this is done, tapping the touchpad with two fingers should generate a middle-button click and tapping it with three fingers will generate a right-button click.

Plan

Here's what needs to be done: