We tried installing Ubuntu 9.04 on our MacBook. That worked OK, but the mouse (touch pad) acted a little bit wonky. Now, when things are wonky, “use the source, Luke!”. At least, dig down enough into the source to tailor to the hardware and just do what you need. NoNIC V3 has a distribution that uses a very fresh Linux kernel (2.6.29.4) that detects the MacBook devices. We used mcjrootfsmac-3.0.tar.bz2 which is a fully configured filesystem that will boot on an Intel Mac along with a full Enlightenment desktop and tools:
Stop! Before you do anything, realize that you might just render your MacBook unbootable. Make sure you have a full backup and your original install DVDs. See this site’s Terms of Use.
Here is the version of MacBook we have:
Hardware Overview: Model Name: MacBook Model Identifier: MacBook4,1 Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz Number Of Processors: 1 Total Number Of Cores: 2 L2 Cache: 3 MB Memory: 2 GB Bus Speed: 800 MHz Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00 SMC Version (system): 1.31f0 Sudden Motion Sensor: State: Enabled |
The DVD drive interface:
ATA Bus: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N: Model: HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N Revision: BP10 Serial Number: K7R82QG0939 Detachable Drive: No Protocol: ATAPI Unit Number: 0 Socket Type: Internal Low Power Polling: Yes Power Off: Yes |
The DVD drive:
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GSA-S10N: Firmware Revision: BP10 Interconnect: ATAPI Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive) Cache: 2048 KB Reads DVD: Yes CD-Write: -R, -RW DVD-Write: -R, -R DL, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds |
The video display:
Intel GMA X3100: Chipset Model: GMA X3100 Type: Display Bus: Built-In VRAM (Total): 144 MB Vendor: Intel (0x8086) Device ID: 0x2a02 Revision ID: 0x0003 Displays: Color LCD: Resolution: 1280 x 800 Depth: 32-Bit Color Core Image: Hardware Accelerated Main Display: Yes Mirror: Off Online: Yes Quartz Extreme: Supported Built-In: Yes |
The SATA controller and drive:
Intel ICH8-M AHCI: Vendor: Intel Product: ICH8-M AHCI Speed: 1.5 Gigabit Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported Hitachi HTS542516K9SA00: Capacity: 149.05 GB Model: Hitachi HTS542516K9SA00 Revision: BBCAC3GP Serial Number: 080207BB0310WCKA0HRC Native Command Queuing: Yes Queue Depth: 32 Removable Media: No Detachable Drive: No BSD Name: disk0 Mac OS 9 Drivers: No Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table) S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified Volumes: Macintosh HD: Capacity: 127.88 GB Available: 49.49 GB Writable: Yes File System: Journaled HFS+ BSD Name: disk0s2 Mount Point: / NONIC: Capacity: 953.7 MB Available: 838.7 MB Writable: Yes File System: MS-DOS FAT32 BSD Name: disk0s4 Mount Point: /Volumes/NONIC |
The USB interface and Touchpad:
USB Bus: Host Controller Location: Built In USB Host Controller Driver: AppleUSBUHCI PCI Device ID: 0x2832 PCI Revision ID: 0x0003 PCI Vendor ID: 0x8086 Bus Number: 0x5d Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad: Product ID: 0x0229 Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.) Version: 0.07 Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec Manufacturer: Apple Computer Location ID: 0x5d200000 Current Available (mA): 500 Current Required (mA): 40 |
