> ... for some bizarre reason my ftp URI had to be
> ftp://tim@sumeru.stanford.edu//home/tim/WWW/pooters/SqFiles/pa
> ckages/VMMaker  <- note the double slash between the server
> name and the path.

The login for ftp is your home - so you were probably in /home/tim already
and then trying to navigate to home/tim/... won't work (the double slash
seems actually broken though it seems to do the trick of making this an
absolute location). Try using ftp://tim@sumeru.stanford.edu/~tim/WWW...
instead.

> This went ok except that SM response is terrible for me. It can take
> 10-15 seconds to get the menu! What on earth is it doing between the
> menu button press and providing the menu?

No idea.

> Once I finally got the URIs correct this actually worked. However, so
> far as I can tell you have to have a package _loaded_ to see 
> its update streams. This is perfectly reasonable but not obvious
> from the description. It caught me out....

Check out the implementors of #includeUnloadedCardManagers.

> > Step 9: Posting 'real' updates
>
> It also removes the original file! I'm not at all sure I like that.

No, it renames it to the actual name of the update (e.g., including the
numeric prefix).

> I'd like to suggest that update files get put in the same place as the
> chosen package download directory.

There's a preference called #updatesSaveFile or so. Turn it on.

Cheers,
  - Andreas