Installing Debian on your Kindle

Update (2020): This project is deprecated. I have no idea if any of the following instructions are still accurate, or if any of the links are still working. I have now moved over to Gitlab.

Installing Debian on your Kindle

The first thing you need to do is jailbreak your Kindle. The jailbreaking process involves allowing the installation of unsigned applications to your Kindle. I used this guide from LifeHacker.com

Once you have jailbroken, you will be able to install a terminal. Installing a terminal allows you to access the underlying Linux system on your Kindle. For this hack, I used KTerm. You can get KTerm from here. To install it, you have to unzip the ZIP file you downloaded into the extensions folder on your Kindle's root directory from a computer.

Now that you have a terminal, you will be able to install the Debian chroot. Here's where it gets complicated. First, you need to generate a Debian image appropriate for your device. Use MakeImage.sh to do this. Run the script on a Linux system to generate the image. If you do not have access to a Linux system, message me and I can provide a pre-generated one.

Now, move the debian.ext3 file on to your Kindle's root directory. You're almost there. Once you have moved debian.ext3, you need to move the RunDebian.sh script and the UpdateInitScript.sh script as well as RunBeforeDebian.sh

on to your Kindle. Now you can run them. Do this by typing cd ../.. and then ./RunDebian.sh --root on your Kindle. You are now root on your Kindle!

Then, hit CTRL-D on your Kindle until you see [US]$ or [US]# you are now back in your Kindle's terminal. Type ./RunBeforeDebian.sh on your Kindle to setup mountpoints and install the debian command/. Now, you should be able to typedebianin the Kindle's terminal to access Debian. If you need root access (to install sudo, add users, etc) typedebian --root` to start Debian as root.

You should now have a working Debian install.

Finally, you need to setup Debian (IF YOU HAVE A PREGENERATED IMAGE YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP) First, type debian --root to enter Debian as root. Then, type cd /deboostrap. Next, type ./deboostrap --second-stage and let that do it's thing. If it fails, hit CTRL-D until you see [US]$ then type debian --root again. Once that completes, type dpkg --configure -a. Now type adduser <USERNAME> replacing <USERNAME> with your name. Next, type apt-get install sudo. Then, type adduser <USERNAME> sudo replacing <USERNAME> with your name and follow the prompts. Finally, hit CTRL-D until you see [US]$ and type debian. Login with your username and password. Finally, type echo alias "sudo"="sudo -S".

-Enjoy!

Open an issue in the Issue Tracker if you encounter any issues, or PM me on Reddit (u/dylanhamer13) if you need help with any of the instructions.

Thanks for the support, Kat