While I agree the restriction that packages installed from a local source through HAM has to be in user/* is kinda silly:

Few possibilities for help this scenario:
* Easiest for user: zip file containing a mini Debian repository generated with apt-ftparchive and a dot install file.

User unpacks on SD, clicks fbreader.install file in the directory, everything installs, everything is checksummed properly and user knows early if his download fails.

And we avoid cluttering the visible namespace with libraries confusing people (HAM failed the "girlfriend test" for me this way, 'darling, what are libs?')

* we now have easy rootsh (in user/*), meaning you can simply dpkg -i the packages from root.
* usbnet (which now works on even XP) access to repositories, and proxy support works for HAM (afaik) which grabs 99% of users
* red pill mode (which is obviously evil but would solve the problem - "Show all packages" would allow the users to use the install locally
* encourage HAM developers to not automatically decline non-user/* applications when it's a deb from a local/downloaded source.

I'd personally love to continue seeing FBreader in extras, so consider if any of these are potential ways to go about it.

I have to talk to you about a Mer port at some point as well - we're kinda in between a Maemo port and a Ubuntu port :P