Slackware on a macbook

Smokey · 08-20-2007, 10:11 PM

I am trying to install Slackware 12.0 on a macbook but I've been reading some websites and they say that the keyboard is not recognizable, that you can add it(driver) to the .iso and burn it so you can boot off it, with the keyboard working.

I cannot find the guide inside the slackware 12.0 dvd? How can I find out which driver I have to add so that the keyboard will work? I am using a macbook pro 2.2 ghz intel

I know I need to rtfm, but at this point, google is not helping me find the correct 'm's to rtfm

nephalem · 08-21-2007, 04:14 AM

Im actually having a similar problem right now that i posted in here about. In my case however im installing slackware on a VM through parallels workstation, with winXP as the host OS running through bootcamp. The keyboard works ok for me, but im sure thats because bootcamp basically makes it just a standard keyboard. With my install the thing that is giving me problems is my speaker tho. It hangs the boot sequence when it gets to it.

Im not sure if this will help you, or if you have already seen it, but here is a discussion of this that i found.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=202556

Some of them are talking about a setup like mine, in which tux is running on a VM from parallels. The main problems with that are that parallels is not free, and i assume you wont want to buy it. Also, under parallels, the emulated integrated graphics may not be fast enough for you depending on what you use it for. For me its fine as im only using it to teach myself basic linux management.

Farther down in the post however they talk about using elilo bootloader, which can boot EFI based machines, and that is prob going to be your best chance.

janhe · 08-21-2007, 04:51 AM

I'm running a dellbook, so I've absolutely no experience in this.
I did pass the question to the expert you already mentioned: Dr. Google:

http://www.google.com/search?client=...utf-8&oe=utf-8

via another Gentoo Linux wiki I met this site:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HARDWARE_Appl...Burn_your_ISOs

It says:

Quote:

Input Devices
[edit]
Use the apple drivers

It could be that udev loads usbhid before appleir and appletouch and the apple drivers cannot bnd to the devices any more. To circumvent this problem you should add the following to your /etc/conf.d/local.start:
rmmod usbhid appletouch appleir
modprobe appleir
modprobe appletouch
modprobe usbhid pb_fnmode=2

you can look in modinfo to see what pb_fnmode does:
# modinfo -p usbhid
mousepoll:Polling interval of mice
pb_fnmode:Mode of fn key on PowerBooks (0 = disabled, 1 = fkeyslast, 2 = fkeysfirst)

I for one like to have them first for kde's ALT+F2 = "Run command"

maybe this can get you on the road again?

Smokey · 09-10-2007, 02:41 AM

I found this opensuse guide http://en.opensuse.org/Installation_...ore_2_Duo_(x86)

Since it uses lilo, do the instructions apply for slackware just the same? I have got the keyboard working, I have not attempted install because the instructions for lilo and refit to play nice with each other are not exactly clear and consistent.

jong357 · 09-10-2007, 11:43 AM

refit and lilo work together just fine.

However, there are issues with using straight up elilo... Atleast with the MBP there is. Don't know about the macbook. Using vanilla EFI and elilo makes the video bios unavaible because you need a MBR type of setup with regards to the ATI propritary driver. I never paid too much attention to elilo usage because I was triple booting with Linux, OSX and Windows. You can only do that with refit.

Windows still uses a MBR only but Linux and OSX are capable of using vanilla EFI...

I ran into the same problem with the Slackware install DVD having no keyboard. I use a hacked Gentoo LiveCD to install Slackware on a MBP. Search for Slackware macbook on the forums and you'll find more info. Actually, I have an insanely long thread about it here...