How to Install Debian on chromebook with crouton

What is Debian Linux and why do I want it on my Chromebook!

Debian on Chromebook

Debian is a Linux distribution comprised of open source software that is the bases of a large variety of Linux distribution. Kali, Ubuntu & Mint are a few examples of linux distors built on-top of Debian. Debian is also widely accepted as the solid linux.

How do I install it?

To install Debian on Chromebook you must be in developer mode. please reference the following page to learn how to enter  developer mode.

Once in developer mode you need to download crouton.

Open the crosh terminal (CTLR+ALT+T).

enter shell mode by typing shell / enter.

from shell type sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r debian -t kde -n debian

-r is the release. We need to set this to debian. If the -r switch is not passed Ubuntu will be installed.

-t is the target command that specifies what GUI interface you want installed by default. Gnome is the default gui for kali however it does not work on my HP Chromebook 14″. KDE works and is a  good alternative to Gnome.

-n is the name parameter. We define the -n switch here so we can give the chroot a custom name of debian.

As of this article I do not recommend gnome for the target gui on the HP Chromebook 14.

The process will run and install debian on the system.

at some point you will be prompted for a user name and password.

How do I start Debian on chromebook?

Once the install is complete from the shell type sudo startdebian. (This is also known as chroot)

this will start the Debian instance.

To transition seamlessly from chromeos and unity press CTRL+ALT+<=(backward) for chromeos and CTRL+ALT+=>(forward).

if the machine is rebooted you will have to enter shell and type sudo startdebian again.

it is possible to install multiple chroots.

Want to know more?