amcintosh · April 13, 2024 19:24 · May 31, 2020
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+# Ubuntu 20.04 on a 15" Retina MacBook Pro (Mid-2014)
+
+These are notes from my efforts to get Ubuntu 20.04 installed on my older MacBook Pro. I'm making this gist public in the hopes that it's helpful to others.
+
+I did a Minimal install, but selected the option to install additional 3rd-party drivers.
+
+Wifi doesn't work during the install (because it requires a 3rd-party driver), so you won't be able to choose to download updates while installing. No big deal, run a software update after the install.
+
+The installer takes about 25 minutes to complete. Post-install, most things work. The only driver I had to manually install was for the FaceTime camera. More on that below.
+
+## Wifi
+
+It works, mostly. I do get the occasional dropout, and it is slow to reconnect when you wake from suspend. Haven't figured this one out yet.
+
+## Display
+
+I find the default setting of 2880x1800 at 200% scale to be too big.
+
+For me, the sweet spot is to set the scale at 100%, then open Universal Access settings, turn on Large Text, and change the Cursor Size to Medium. That gives me the crisp graphics I want, with all the screen resolution I need, at a font size that isn't too small to see comfortably.
+
+I'll also mention that I tried:
+* Fractional scaling, but apparently the display can't handle it. I just got a black screen.
+* Changing resolutions in the Nvidia control panel, but that just made everything fuzzy.
+
+
+## FaceTime Camera
+
+This is a summary of info from https://github.com/patjak/bcwc_pcie/wiki/Get-Started
+
+If you did a Mimimal install, you'll need:
+
+```
+sudo apt install curl git unrar
+```
+
+#### Firmware
+
+```
+git clone https://github.com/patjak/facetimehd-firmware.git
+cd facetimehd-firmware
+make
+sudo make install
+```
+
+Results of `sudo make install` should be
+
+```
+Copying firmware into '//usr/lib/firmware/facetimehd
+```
+
+#### Sensor Calibration
+
+Download Boot Camp Support Software from https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1837
+
+Extract the file:
+```
+unzip bootcamp5.1.5769.zip
+cd BootCamp/Drivers/Apple/
+unrar x AppleCamera64.exe
+
+# Extract the DAT files:
+dd bs=1 skip=1663920 count=33060 if=AppleCamera.sys of=9112_01XX.dat
+dd bs=1 skip=1644880 count=19040 if=AppleCamera.sys of=1771_01XX.dat
+dd bs=1 skip=1606800 count=19040 if=AppleCamera.sys of=1871_01XX.dat
+dd bs=1 skip=1625840 count=19040 if=AppleCamera.sys of=1874_01XX.dat
+
+# Copy the DAT files to the folder containing the driver:
+sudo cp *.dat /usr/lib/firmware/facetimehd
+```
+
+#### Driver
+
+```
+git clone https://github.com/patjak/bcwc_pcie.git
+cd bcwc_pcie
+make
+sudo make install
+# you may get SSL errors, but it appears these are safe to ignore
+sudo depmod
+sudo modprobe -r bdc_pci
+sudo modprobe facetimehd
+echo facetimehd | sudo tee -a /etc/modules > /dev/null
+```
+
+Don't forget to clean up the downloaded git repos and the extracted Boot Camp driver files.
+
+## Fonts
+
+I'm a long-time Mac user. I like Mac fonts. Skip this bit if you want.
+
+My favorite monospaced font is Monaco, and I like the look of the San Francisco font in the UI. If you don't have access to a Mac to copy the font files from, you can find them online.
+
+You can use Dconf Editor to change the system fonts, but it's easier to use the GNOME Tweaks app. Both are available in the Ubuntu Software app.
+
+In the Tweaks app, select the Fonts page. I use the following:
+
+```
+Interface Text         SF Pro Display Regular 11
+Document Text          SF Pro Display Regular 11
+Monospace Text         Monaco Regular 11
+Legacy Window Titles   SF Pro Display Semibold 11
+```
+
+<br><br>
+And that's it. Most of the other tweaks I do are pure personal preference, not really worth mentioning here.
+
+If you have suggestions for improvements to this doc, please leave me a comment.