No se si esta para Debian, pero busca Usplash:
Description: Userspace bootsplash utility
Usplash is a userspace application that uses the Linux framebuffer interface
to draw a splash screen at boot. It has a companion utility that is able to
send commands to usplash, allowing information about the bootup sequence to
be displayed in a more attractive way.
Y te ahorras todo el lio de los .diff. Un saludo!
