Linux Laptop & Notebook Installation Guides: Apple (aka Macintosh)

Linux installation and configuration guides for iBook, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, PowerBook laptops and notebooks made by Apple Computer Inc.. Reports about running other Unix systems e.g. BSD, Solaris are welcome, too. And don't miss the resources section at the bottom, containing links to applications, tools, utilities, drivers, community portals, HOWTOs and FAQs. Do you have written an installation tutorial yourself? Please submit a new report.

Apple iBook	Gentoo
Apple iBook	Debian Sarge
Apple iBook	YellowDogLinux
Apple iBook	YellowDogLinux	Dutch
Apple iBook [1999]	LinuxPPC	Japanese
Apple iBook 700MHz [2002]	CRUX Linux PPC, NetBSD 1.2.1
Apple iBook	Debian
Apple iBook [2004] [PRINT]	Debian	German
Apple iBook	Debian	German
Apple iBook [2001]	Novell/SuSE 7.0	German
Apple iBook [2003]	Debian	German
Apple iBook G3 300Mhz	YellowDogLinux 2.2
Apple iBook	Gentoo
Apple iBook	Debian 3.0
Apple iBook	Debian 3.0	French
Apple iBook Tangerine [2000]	Debian
Apple ibook [PDF]	Novell/SuSE 7.0
Apple iBook	YellowDogLinux, LinuxPPC
Apple iBook	YellowDogLinux	German
Apple iBook 14''	YellowDogLinux	German
Apple iBook 600	YellowDogLinux
Apple iBook G3	LinuxPPC	French
Apple iBook G3	Vine Linux PPC	Japanese
Apple iBook G3 12'' 500MHz [2001]	ARCHlinux
Apple iBook G3 500MHz Dual-USB White	Gentoo PPC 2006.1
Apple iBook G3 500MHz Dual-USB White	Debian Woody
Apple iBook G3 500MHz	Debian
Apple iBook G3 500Mhz	OpenBSD 3.7 PowerPC
Apple iBook G3 12'' 900MHz	Debian
Apple iBook G3 700	Debian	French
Apple iBook G3 [2001]	PenguinPPC	German
Apple iBook 800MHz	OpenBSD
Apple iBook G4	Fedora PPC
Apple iBook G4	Debian	Spanish
Apple iBook G4 1.2''GHz	Debian	Spanish
Apple iBook G4	Debian	German
Apple iBook G4	Gentoo	Spanish
Apple iBook G4	Ubuntu Dapper Drake
Apple iBook G4 [2004]	Gentoo	Japanese
Apple iBook G4 [2004]	Debian
Apple iBook G4 [2004]	Debian	French
Apple iBook G4 [2004]	Debian	French
Apple iBook G4 800Mhz	Debian
Apple iBook G4 800MHz 12''	YellowDogLinux 3.0.1	Italian
Apple iBook G4 800MHz 12''	YellowDogLinux 3.0.1
Apple iBook G4 800	Ubuntu	French
Apple iBook G4 800MHz	Ubuntu 6.10
Apple iBook G4 12'' 1GHz [2004]	Debian 3.0 Woody	Japanese
Apple iBook G4 12'' 1GHz [2004]	Debian 3.0 Woody
Apple iBook G4 1.2GHz	Mandriva (Mandrake)	French
Apple iBook G4 [2005]	Debian Sarge, Ubuntu Hoary	French
Apple iBook G4 [2005]	Debian 3.1	Spanish
Apple iBook G4 12'' [2005] [PRINT]	Debian	German
Apple iBook G4 14'' [2004]	Debian, Gentoo	Japanese
Apple iBook G4 12'' 1,2 GHz [2005]	Gentoo
Apple iBook G4 12'' 1,2 GHz [2005]	Gentoo	Italian
Apple iBook G4 12'' [2005]	Ubuntu 5.04
Apple iBook G4 [2004] [PRINT]	YellowDogLinux	German
Apple iBook G4 14''	Gentoo
Apple iBook G4 1.33GHz	Debian	Italian
Apple iBook G4	Fedora Core 4	Italian
Apple iBook G4	Debian 4.0	French
Apple iBook G4	Ubuntu 6.04, 6.10	Italian
Apple iBook G4	Debian	Italian
Apple iBook G4	Ubuntu Dapper Drake
Apple iBook G4	Ubuntu Dapper Drake	German
Apple iBook G4	Ubuntu 6.10, 7.04	German
Apple iBook G4 [2005]	Ubuntu Breezy
Apple iBook G4 12''	Debian	Italian
Apple iBook G4 12'' [2005]	Gentoo
Apple iBook G4 12'' [2005]	Gentoo
Apple iBook G4 12'' 1,2 Ghz	Ubuntu 5.10, Gentoo, Fedora Core 4
Apple iBook G4 1.2GHz 12.1''	Debian	German
Apple iBook G4 1.2GHz 12.1''	Debian
Apple iBook G4 [2005]	Debian Sarge	German
Apple iBook3.3 G4 14''	Debian
Apple iBook2	Debian	German
Apple iBook2	Debian
Apple iBook2	Debian
Apple iBook2 300MHz	YellowDogLinux 4.0
Apple iBook2 466MHz	YellowDogLinux 4.0
Apple iBook2 800MHz	YellowDogLinux 4.0
Apple iBook2	Debian
Apple iBook2	Debian	German
Apple iBook2	Debian	French
Apple iBook2	Debian
Apple iBook2	Debian 3.0
Apple iBook2	Debian
Apple iBook2	Debian Woody	French
Apple iBook2.2	Debian 3.0
Apple iBook2.2	Debian	Chinese
Apple iBook2.2	Debian 3.0, 3.1	French
Apple iBook 2.2	Debian
Apple ibook2 500	Debian	German
Apple iBook2 500	Debian
Apple iBook2 600MHz	Mandriva (Mandrake) 8.0
Apple iBook2 600MHz	Debian
Apple iBook2 600MHz	Debian
Apple iBook2 Dual USB 600MHz [late 2001]	OpenBSD 3.2
Apple iBook Dual USB [2002]	YellowDogLinux
Apple iBook Dual USB [2001]	YellowDogLinux
Apple iBook Dual USB [pre-2001]	YellowDogLinux
Apple iBook SE	Debian
Apple Macbook	Debian
Apple Macbook [2006]	Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake
Apple Macbook [2006]	Ubuntu 6.06
Apple Macbook 13'' 2GHz [2006]	Debian, Gentoo	French
Apple MacBook 13.3'' Core2Duo Black [2007]	Fedora Core 6	German
Apple Macbook [2006]	Gentoo
Apple Macbook 1.83GHZ Core2Duo [2006]	Debian
Apple Macbook Core2Duo	NetBSD
Apple Macbook [2006]	Debian Etch
Apple Macbook [2006]	Debian Etch
Apple Macbook [2006]	Knoppix 5.01, Debian Etch
Apple Macbook [2006]	Gentoo
Apple Macbook [2006] [PDF]	Debian Etch
Apple Macbook [2006]	Linux
Apple Macbook [2006]	KUbuntu
Apple Macbook [2006 1.1]	Ubuntu	French
Apple Macbook [2006]	Ubuntu	French
Apple Macbook [2006]	Ubuntu
Apple Macbook [2006]	Ubuntu 7.04
Apple Macbook	Debian	Catalan
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu 6.10, 7.04	Italian
Apple Macbook	Debian	Chinese
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu 6.06	Italian
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu	Spanish
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu 6.10, 7.04	German
Apple Macbook	FreeBSD	German
Apple Macbook	FreeBSD
Apple Macbook	FreeBSD	French
Apple Macbook	FreeBSD
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu 7.04	German
Apple Macbook	OpenSolaris
Apple Macbook	Ubuntu 7.04, 7.10
Apple Macbook	Solaris
Apple Macbook	Novell/SuSE 10.3
Apple Macbook (Spring 2007)	Debian, Mac OSX
Apple Macbook (Caligosta)	Ubuntu	Italian
Apple Macbook (Santa Rosa)	Ubuntu	Italian
Apple Macbook 1.1 13'' 2GHz Core Duo [August 2006]	Debian, Ubuntu
Apple MacBook 13.3'' Core 2 duo	Novell/SuSE 10.3, Ubuntu 7.10	German
Apple Macbook (2. Gen, Core 2 Duo)	ARCHlinux
Apple Macbook 2GHz	Debian	French
Apple Macbook 2GHz	Ubuntu 7.10	Brazilian Portuguese
Apple Macbook Pro 15''	Ubuntu 6.06
Apple Macbook Pro [2006]	Ubuntu
Apple Macbook Pro [2006]	Ubuntu
Apple MacBook Pro [2006] [PRINT]	Novell/SuSE 10.1	German
Apple Macbook Pro [2006]	Gentoo
Apple Macbook Pro [2006]	Ubuntu
Apple Macbook Pro 15''	Debian	Italian
Apple Macbook Pro 15'' [2006]	Debian AMD64 Etch
Apple Macbook Pro 15'' [2006]	Ubuntu
Apple Macbook Pro	OpenSolaris Build 76
Apple Macbook Pro 15''	Solaris Express Developer Edition 9/07
Apple Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo [2006]	Gentoo
Apple Macbook Pro 15'' 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo	Ubuntu 7.04, KUbuntu 7.10
Apple Macbook Pro rev3 [2007]	Debian
Apple Macbook Pro 15.4''	Linux	Polish
Apple Macbook Pro 15.4''	Linux	Polish
Apple Macbook Pro	FreeBSD 7.0
Apple Macbook Pro	OpenBSD 4.2
Apple Macbook Pro	Linux	German
Apple Macbook Pro	Novell/SuSE 10.2
Apple Macbook Pro	Fedora 8
Apple Macbook Pro Core2Duo rev2,2	Debian	French
Apple PowerBook 160	NetBSD
Apple PowerBook 1400	Debian
Apple PowerBook 1400	MkLinux	Japanese
Apple PowerBook 1400, 2300, 5300	Linux
Apple PowerBook 1400CS	Debian 3.0 Woody
Apple PowerBook 2400	Debian
Apple PowerBook 2400	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook 2400c	RedHat 4.2	Japanese
Apple PowerBook 3400	Gentoo 1.4 PPC, YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook 3400 Hooper	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook 3400C	Debian
Apple PowerBook 3400C/200 [1999]	LinuxPPC	Japanese
Apple PowerBook 5300	Debian
Apple PowerBook 5300C	MkLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 [1999]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G3	LinuxPPC	French
Apple PowerBook G3	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 233	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3/250 (aka 3500)	Mandriva (Mandrake) PPC 9.1	French
Apple PowerBook G3 FireWire	Knoppix
Apple PowerBook G3 FireWire	Novell/SuSE 7.0	German
Apple PowerBook G3 500 FireWire [PDF]	Novell/SuSE 7.0
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard	LinuxPPC	French
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo [2000]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo FireWire	Debian 3.0 (Woody)
Apple PowerBook G3 400 Pismo FireWire	Debian 2.2	French
Apple PowerBook G3 Pismo FireWire	OpenBSD 3.4
Apple PowerBook G3 1st gen Kanga	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard [1999]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G3 Lombard	Debian
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	Debian
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	Mandriva (Mandrake) 9.1
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	YellowDogLinux 2.3
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	Debian
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet	Ubuntu 5.04 Hoary
Apple PowerBook G3/292/14 Wallstreet	LinuxPPC	Japanese
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet/Lombard/Pismo	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet II	Novell/SuSE 7.1 / 7.3 PPC, 10.3	German
Apple PowerBook G3 Wallstreet/Mainstreet [1998]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 1.5GHz (Model 5,4)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' 1GHz	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 12''	Gentoo PPC	French
Apple PowerBook G4	Mandriva (Mandrake) 9.1	French
Apple PowerBook G4 Mercury Rev A	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 Onyx [2001]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 [2002]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 (GeForce4) 12'' [2003]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 (Radeon 9000) 15'' [2003]	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4	Fedora
Apple PowerBook G4	Linux
Apple PowerBook G4	Vine Linux	Japanese
Apple PowerBook G4 Aluminium (AlBook) 1GHz	YellowDogLinux, Ubuntu
Apple PowerBook G4 Aluminium (AlBook) [2003]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 Aluminium (AlBook) 12'' 1.33GHz	Debian Sarge
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' [2003]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 867MHz Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Linux
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Debian	German
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Debian	Spanish
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Debian	French
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' Aluminium (AlBook) 1.5MHz	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	OpenBSD
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' Aluminium (AlBook) [2004]	Gentoo	Italian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' Aluminium (AlBook)	Gentoo	Italian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1GHZ Aluminium (AlBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 (AlBook) [2005]	Linux
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.67GHz (Albook) [2005]	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.67GHz (AlBook) [2005]	Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' (AlBook)	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.67GHz (AlBook)	Gentoo PPC
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' (AlBook) [2005] [PRINT]	Debian 3.1 PPC	German
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.25GHz Aluminium (AlBook) [2003-Q4]	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.5GHz (AlBook)	Ubuntu 6.06LTS, 6.10, 7.04
Apple PowerBook G4 17'' (AlBook)	OpenBSD 3.7
Apple PowerBook G4 550MHz (TiBook)	OpenBSD
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	YellowDogLinux,Debian, Gentoo, Mandriva (Mandrake)
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	YellowDogLinux 2.2
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	LinuxPPC	Japanese
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	LinuxPPC
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian 3.0
Apple PowerBook G4 500MHz Titanium (TiBook)	Novell/SuSE 7.1
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian	French
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Ubuntu Breezy Badger	German
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook) [PRINT]	PenguinPPC	German
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 400 Titanium (TiBook) [PDF]	Novell/SuSE 7.0
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook II)	Debian, NetBSD
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook III)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook IV)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook IV) 15''	Debian	German
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium (TiBook IV)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 400Mhz Titanium (TiBook)	YellowDogLinux
Apple PowerBook G4 400MHz Titanium (TiBook)	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G4 400MHz 15'' Titanium (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 500 Titanium (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 500MHz Titanium (TiBook)	Mandriva (Mandrake) 9.1	French
Apple PowerBook G4 500Mhz Titanium (TiBook)	Vine Linux 3.1	Japanese
Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium 667MHz (TiBook)	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 800 Titanium (TiBook) [2004]	Debian	French
Apple PowerBook G4 800 Titanium (TiBook)	OpenBSD
Apple PowerBook G4 800MHz DVI	OpenBSD
Apple PowerBook G4 12'' 1.25GHz [2005]	Debian	French
Apple PowerBook G4 1.5GHz 12''	Gentoo
Apple PowerBook G4 12''	Gentoo	Spanish
Apple PowerBook G4 12''	Debian
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' [2006] [PRINT]	Debian 3.1	German
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' [2005]	Novell/SuSE 10.1
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' [2/2006]	ARCHlinux
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' [2007]	Ubuntu 6.06LTS
Apple PowerBook G4 15'' 1.5GHz	Ubuntu
Apple PowerBook G4 [2007]	Ubuntu 6.06

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Resources

• Laptop Manufacturers: Linux Status Survey
• manufacturer site: Apple Computer Inc.
• Linux Mobile Guide - Installing, Maintaining and Tuning of Linux on Mobile Computers
• How to do-it-yourself Apple (former Macintosh) laptop and notebook upgrading, repairing and modding.
• vendors which sell pre-installed Linux laptops, notebooks, PDAs or mobile phones

Original Equipment Manufacturer - OEM

If you are looking for drivers, software and service manuals for laptops and notebooks you may sometimes find similar models branded under a different name. Especially the FCC-ID can be helpful to detect the original manufacturer.

• OEM relations between manufacturers
• FCC ID: BCG (Apple)

HOWTOs/FAQs

• Linux on PowerPC FAQ-O-Matic: What PowerPC machines work with Linux?
• How to disassemble Powerbooks (in Japanese)
• Use an extended desktop with your iBook. The iBook CAN'T run with an external monitor in any higher resolution than it's internal LCD. There is a hack to enable this feature.
• "Even though most Linux users have treated Linux as an operating system for their x86 white boxes, Linux runs equally well on PowerPC machines. This article looks at Linux on the PowerPC and the appealing range of PPC machines produced by Apple, where the option of using Linux is of great value to many users."
• Yellow Dog Linux Installs Neatly on an iPod "Forget bootable USB pendrives and use an iPod to boot Linux on a Mac..."

iBook and PowerBook Specifications, Model History

• Apple computers specification survey
• PowerBook G3 Computers: How to Identify Different Models
• PowerBook G4 Computers: How to Identify Different Models
• iBook: How to Identify iBook Models
• Apple-History an independent source of specifications for Apple computers
• History of Linux for the PowerPC

Community: Mailing Lists, Forums, FAQs, HOWTOs, Wikis

• PowerBookLinux
• iBookLinux
• Google PowerPC directory
• PowerBook Army - Apple User Group
• A survey of GNU-ification software for MAC OS X

Applications / Drivers

• GKrellM-PMU is a plugin for GKrellM to create a battery monitor for Macintosh PowerBooks and iBooks on Linux/PPC systems. Display includes such things as dual battery support, time remaining, and a load graph.
• PBButtons is a daemon to handle special hardware on the Apple iBook/PowerBook/TiBook. It controls the display brightness, the sound volume, mutes the sound, changes the trackpad mode, puts the machine to sleep, or ejects the CDROM on command. It also provides basic power management features. An included client gives the user visual feedback about all actions with nice little popup windows.
• PowerPrefs is a configuration client for PBButtonsd, the hardware daemon for Apple Powerbooks, that allows the user to change certain options of PBButtonsd during runtime. This includes temporarily disabling sleep mode while compiling a big project, changing trackpad or keyboard mode, and more.
• OSL PBButtonsD
• MacOSD is a visualization frontend for PBButtonsD, the button and power event daemon used for Apple computers. It utilizes Evas with its anti-aliasing and alpha-blending canvas capabilities for rendering. The less-eye-candy-rich Xosd can also be used to render shaped windows that work over video overlays. The theme format is GtkPBButtons-compatible.
• evkeyd listens for media key input events to modify screen brightness, changing the volume or ejecting the CD-ROM
• Power PC Kernel Archives - Your source for the latest builds of stable and development Linux kernels for PowerPC computers.
• Mac-on-Linux - MoL makes it possible to run Mac OS (including OS X) under Linux/PPC. MOL is not an emulator but runs the OS directly without any CPU emulation. Moreover, NO ROM IMAGE is required.
• pmud is a daemon which periodically polls the PMU (power manager) and performs functions such as enabling or disabling devices appropriately when the powersource changes. It can also be instructed to signal init(8) that a powerfailure has occured.
• An attempt to write a driver for the R300