BenH-Kernel for Apple Powerbook

For the Powerbook or at least for the most PowerPC exist modified kernel sources maintained by Benjamin Herrenschmidt.
In order to get the sources and for building your own kernel do following

mkdir /usr/src/benh_kernel
rsync -avz rsync.penguinppc.org::linux-2.4-benh /usr/src/benh_kernel

Configure the kernel according to your needs and compile and install it like you want to (I propose the debian way with make-kpkg). Then change your /etc/yaboot.conf and run ybin (these are the equivalents of /etc/lilo.conf and lilo). Do not forget to leave a functional kernel in.

XFree86

The XFree86 from Debain Sid works fine, unless you want 3D support. Then you have to google a little bit around about that. For the uncommon resolution of the TiBook you have to add to the Montior section the mentioned ModeLine. However you will do, this config works fine for me:

Section "Device"
Identifier	"Generic Video Card"
Driver		"ati"
BusID		"PCI:0:16:0"
Option		"UseFBDev"		"true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier	"Generic Monitor"
HorizSync	30-60
VertRefresh	50-75
Option		"DPMS"
Modeline	"1152x768" 65 1152 1178 1314 1472 768 771 777 806 +HSync +VSync
EndSection

USB-mouse, touchpad and keyboard

Until I use my TiBook at home for working I have a second mouse (USB) attached to it. Debian installs the X-server with a default of two mice configured. One as core pointer, the other sends core events to the core pointer. So both mice worked fine after installation. The selection for the keyboard map isn’t that easy. For completeness, these are the appropriate lines of the XF86Config-4:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
Driver		"keyboard"
Option		"CoreKeyboard"
Option		"LeftAlt"	"Meta"
Option		"RightAlt"	"Meta"
Option		"ScrollLock" "Compose"
Option		"RightCtl"	"Control"
Option		"XkbRules"	"xfree86"
Option		"XkbLayout"	"de"
Option		"XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
Driver		"mouse"
Option		"CorePointer"
Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
Option		"ZAxisMapping"	"4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier	"Generic Mouse"
Driver		"mouse"
Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"
Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
Option		"ZAxisMapping"	"4 5"
EndSection

For the Powerbook does not exist a german keymap although the layout of an Apple keyboard is something strange for a non-Macian but the PowerBook is even much more strange. So you can not find brackets, braces or a pipe. The @-sign does not appear and the apple-key is without function. To get this all solved you can modify a keymap based on a variant keymap (like iBook) or you can solve it the fast way when you create ~/.xmodmaprc file with the following content:

keycode 115 = Mode_switch Multi_key
keycode 16 = 7 slash braceleft
keycode 17 = 8 parenleft bracketleft
keycode 18 = 9 parenright bracketright
keycode 19 = 0 equal braceright
keycode 94 = less greater bar
keycode 26 = e E EuroSign
keycode 35 = plus asterisk asciitilde
keycode 46 = l L at

Then edit for example your ~/.xsession and add a line
xmodmap ~/.xmodmaprc
so that the changes happen every xsession startup.
Now you have Apple as AltGr, the braces at Apple+7 and Apple+0, the brackets at Apple+8 and Apple+9, the Euro at Apple+e, the @-sign at Apple+l and the pipe at Apple+<. This should work fine for german needs.
Remember for some needs you have to use the fn-key (enabling function-keys etc.) and for that and some other reasons I recommend to install the pbbuttons pbbuttonsd eject packages.

PCMCIA Wireless

For the use of a PCMCIA-WLAN-card, the kernel is prepared, so you need only functionality for hotplugging and wireless.
You need at least these packages:

hotplug
pcmcia-cs
wireless-tools

When installed make sure the following entry exists in /etc/pcmcia/config:

card "Netgear MA401RA Wireless Adapter"
version "NETGEAR MA401RA Wireless PC", "Card"
bind "orinoco_cs"

Then edit your /etc/network/interfaces similar to this according to your network environment:

/etc/network/interfaces
iface eth1 inet static
address 192.168.1.X
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.1.0
broadcast 192.168.1.255
gateway 192.168.1.X
wireless_essid any
wireless_mode Managed
wireless_rate 11M auto
wireless_key restricted s:XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here and in the following X is a placeholder for alphanumerics and a x for hexadecimals.
wireless_key can also be written in HEX then you have clean out the s: and have to enter 26 hexadecimals according to the settings in your accesspoint. This is the setting for 128bit WEP encryption. Less than 128bit (in real it is 104bit and an overhead of 24bit) should not be used. It is too easy to break in with help of sniffers like airsnort.
The result should be when the card is inserted in the PCMCIA slot that two beeps appear, the green LED is blinking until it has a connect to an accesspoint and remains green when it has connected. You can also use cardinfo to see if the card is correctly recognized.
The commands iwconfig and ifconfig should show something like that after /etc/init.d/pcmcia restart and /etc/init.d/networking restart:

iwconfig
eth1      IEEE 802.11-DS  ESSID:"XXXXXX"  Nickname:"Prism  I"
Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412GHz  Access Point: xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
Bit Rate=11Mb/s   Tx-Power=15 dBm   Sensitivity:1/3
Retry min limit:8   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xx
Security mode:restricted
Power Management:off
Link Quality:84/92  Signal level:-10 dBm  Noise level:-145 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:47  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

ifconfig
eth1      Protokoll:Ethernet  Hardware Adresse xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
inet Adresse:192.168.1.X  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Maske:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
RX packets:1570 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:1072 errors:50 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
Kollisionen:0 Sendewarteschlangenlänge:1000
RX bytes:930086 (908.2 KiB)  TX bytes:197939 (193.2 KiB)
Interrupt:3 Basisadresse:0x100

Debian - the soft way

Unless other expactations the installation of Sid besides Mac OS X wasn’t as hard. The powermanagement pmu (power management unit) works fine from startup, with some modifications XFree too. USB and Firewire works, hotplug and PCMCIA. With the exellent hardware you have with an Apple you now can get easily a free alternative for the even excellent but non-free Mac OS X.
Because of the small harddisk you should consider to work with an external Firewire harddisk when really working under Mac OS X like I do. But maybe I can afford a new 20, 30 or 40 GB 2.5 inch harddisk for it. The power of the 400 MHz G4 in combination with 1024 MB is satisfying enough for working.
My choice for a new mobile computer will be certainly a new generation Powerbook the next time. Maybe soon with the new G5?Please mail me any flames and comments.