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Manjaro Linux Plasma (X11) on a 2009 MacBook

Guide based on real-world testing with a 2009 MacBook.

Yahya Clothier  |  bushgrad.blogspot.com  |  14 April 2026 (previously published)

Abstract This guide is based on real-world testing with a 2009 MacBook. It covers partitioning, encryption, switching from Wayland to X11, and getting the Broadcom WiFi working on a modern kernel.

A Complete Step-by-Step Installation Guide

A tested, working guide to installing Manjaro with full encryption, X11 Plasma, and Broadcom WiFi on a 2009 MacBook.

Image: Manjaro Linux Plasma Desktop / Wikimedia Licence CC BY-SA 4.0

Hardware & Software

  • Hardware: 2009 MacBook

  • OS: Manjaro Linux (Plasma ISO)

Before You Begin

Start by connecting the 2009 MacBook to the network using a wired (LAN) internet connection. This ensures you can download necessary packages during and after installation before WiFi is working.

Installation Overview

  1. Partitioning: Create separate encrypted root and home partitions.

  2. Post-Install Setup: Disable Wayland, enable X11, and install the correct window manager.

  3. WiFi: Install the correct kernel-specific Broadcom driver.

  4. Verification: Confirm you are running X11 and WiFi is connected.

Part 1: During Manjaro Installation (Partitioning)

This stage happens in the graphical installer before the file copy begins.

  1. Select Manual Partitioning.

  2. Locate your EFI partition (usually a small FAT32 partition, often sda1).

    • Action: Set its Mount Point to /boot/efi. Do NOT format it. This keeps your existing boot data intact.

  3. Create your Root (/) partition:

    • Size: 40–60 GB (e.g., 50 GB).

    • Filesystem: ext4.

    • Mount Point: /.

    • Action: Check the "Encrypt" box and set a strong password. (Remember this password—you will enter it twice here and at every boot.)

  4. Create your Home (/home) partition:

    • Size: The remaining space on your drive.

    • Filesystem: ext4.

    • Mount Point: /home.

    • Action: Check the "Encrypt" box and set the same password you used for the root partition.

  5. Proceed with the rest of the installation. DO NOT select "auto-login" as you will have to make changes before enterring home environment for the first time.

Part 2: After First Boot – From the Login Screen

After the fresh install, you will be at the SDDM login screen. Do not log in yet.

Step 1: Switch to a TTY

Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 (or F3, F4). This will take you to a text-based login.

Log in with your username and password.

Step 2: Make the Changes from TTY

Now you are in a terminal session of your newly installed system. Run these commands:

1. Disable Wayland in SDDM:

bash
sudo mkdir -p /etc/sddm.conf.d
sudo tee /etc/sddm.conf.d/disable-wayland.conf << 'EOF'
[Wayland]
Enable=false
EOF

2. Create an X11 session file for Plasma:

bash
sudo tee /usr/share/xsessions/plasma.desktop << 'EOF'
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Plasma
Comment=Plasma by KDE
Exec=startplasma-x11
Type=Application
EOF

3. Install the missing X11 window manager (this is critical):

bash
sudo pacman -S kwin-x11

4. (Optional but clean) Remove the Wayland session file:

bash
sudo mv /usr/share/wayland-sessions/plasma-wayland.desktop \
       /usr/share/wayland-sessions/plasma-wayland.desktop.bak 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Return to the Login Screen

Type exit to log out of the TTY session, then press Ctrl + Alt + F1 (or F7) to return to the graphical login screen.

Step 4: Log In

  1. Click the session menu (gear icon).

  2. Select "Plasma" (not "Plasma (Wayland)").

  3. Enter your password and log in.

Step 5: Verify X11 is Working

Open a terminal (Konsole) and run:

bash
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

It should output x11.

Part 3: At the Login Screen

After the reboot, you will be greeted by the SDDM login screen.

  1. Click the session menu (usually a small icon with a gear or your username).

  2. Select "Plasma" (not "Plasma (Wayland)").

  3. Log in with the username and password you created during installation.

Verify X11 is Working

Open a terminal (Konsole) and run these commands:

bash
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

It should output x11.

bash
inxi -G

This will show your graphics driver (likely nouveau for the Nvidia chip in a 2009 MacBook).

Part 4: WiFi Fix (Broadcom BCM4322)

The open-source b43 driver often fails on this hardware. The correct solution is the kernel-specific proprietary broadcom-wl driver. This example is for kernel 6.18. If you are on a different kernel, adjust the package name accordingly (e.g., linux61-broadcom-wl for kernel 6.1).

  1. Connect to the internet via Ethernet for this step.

  2. Open a terminal and install the required packages:

    bash
    sudo pacman -S broadcom-bt-firmware linux618-broadcom-wl linux-firmware-broadcom

    • linux618-broadcom-wl: The proprietary driver compiled for your specific kernel.

    • linux-firmware-broadcom: Additional firmware files.

    • broadcom-bt-firmware: For Bluetooth (optional but recommended).

  3. Reboot:

    bash
    sudo reboot

After the reboot, your WiFi should appear in the system tray. Click it to scan for and connect to your network.

Summary of Key Commands

Here are the essential post-installation commands in a single block for easy copying:

From TTY:

bash
# Disable Wayland
sudo mkdir -p /etc/sddm.conf.d
echo -e "[Wayland]\nEnable=false" | sudo tee /etc/sddm.conf.d/disable-wayland.conf

# Create X11 session file
echo -e "[Desktop Entry]\nName=Plasma\nComment=Plasma by KDE\nExec=startplasma-x11\nType=Application" | sudo tee /usr/share/xsessions/plasma.desktop

# Install X11 window manager
sudo pacman -S kwin-x11 --noconfirm

# Remove Wayland session file
sudo mv /usr/share/wayland-sessions/plasma-wayland.desktop /usr/share/wayland-sessions/plasma-wayland.desktop.bak 2>/dev/null

# Exit and reboot
sudo reboot

From your new X11 Plasma session (terminal):

bash
# Install Broadcom WiFi driver (adjust kernel version if needed)
sudo pacman -S broadcom-bt-firmware linux618-broadcom-wl linux-firmware-broadcom
sudo reboot

Troubleshooting Notes

  • WiFi Driver: The b43-fwcutter approach did not work on this hardware with modern kernels. The linux618-broadcom-wl package was the only working solution.

  • X11 Requirement: Plasma defaults to Wayland. Manually creating the X11 session file and disabling Wayland in SDDM is required for this hardware, as the Nvidia driver (via Nouveau) has issues with Wayland.

  • Encrypted /home: By having a separate encrypted /home partition, you can safely reinstall or update the system in the future without losing your personal files.

Published by Bushgrad on et2libre.wordpress.com — 14 March 2026.
This article may be shared freely with attribution CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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