jhaluska, I don't expect you are still waiting for an answer, this is more for anyone else who wants to add a user.

First, there is already a non root user, default (i.e, to secure your chumby, you need to ssh in as root, run "passwd" to create a root password, and "passwd default" to secure default.  For these changes to take effect, first you must remount the internal flash storage as read/write: "mount -o remount,rw /" and when you are finished making changes, secure the internal storage by remouting read only "mount -o remount,ro /"

Without the adduser command, you could add a user manually by editing /etc/passwd, the format of which is explained here: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/understand … le-format/  (at least I assume so, since default existed I didn't try editing the file).  On an unedited user file, "cat /etc/passwd" returns"

root::0:0:root:/root:/bin/ash
bin:*:1:1:bin:/bin:/sbin/nologin
daemon:*:2:2:daemon:/sbin:/sbin/nologin
adm:*:3:4:adm:/var/adm:/sbin/nologin
lp:*:4:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/sbin/nologin
sync:*:5:0:sync:/sbin:/bin/sync
shutdown:*:6:0:shutdown:/sbin:/sbin/shutdown
halt:*:7:0:halt:/sbin:/sbin/halt
mail:*:8:12:mail:/var/spool/mail:/sbin/nologin
news:*:9:13:news:/etc/news:
uucp:*:10:14:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/sbin/nologin
operator:*:11:0:operator:/root:/sbin/nologin
sshd:x:103:99:Operator:/var:/bin/sh
games:*:12:100:games:/usr/games:/sbin/nologin
gopher:*:13:30:gopher:/var/gopher:/sbin/nologin
ftp:*:14:50:FTP User:/var/ftp:/sbin/nologin
nobody:*:99:99:Nobody:/:/sbin/nologin
apache:x:48:48:Apache:/var/www:/bin/false
httpd:x:49:49:HTTP Daemon:/home/httpd:/bin/false
ntp:x:38:38::/etc/ntp:/sbin/nologin
default:x:1000:1000:Default non-root user:/home/default:/bin/sh
chumby:x:1001:1001:Chumby Industries,,,:/root:/bin/ash

As you can see, most of the users represent system processes (nologin) and you risk breaking something important if you change anything without understanding exactly what you are doing.  The VI text editor does exist on the Chumby, but I'm lazy, so I connect to the Chumby from my desktop using the FISH (FIle transfer over sSH) protocol (use your root SSH parameters to connect) in Krusader from you Linux desktop (or WinSCP on Windoze).  Copy /etc/passwd to you desktop, edit it in GEdit or Notepad, and copy it back (remember the internal storage on the Chumby must be remounted read/write for this to work.  I tried logging in as News, but that account is already passworded (perhaps it exists so the Chumby people can push updates, i.e. a built in backdoor?)  "x" right after the login indicates the account is passworded.

Password hashes are usually stored in /etc/shadow (I didn't see a shadow file with ls -a, as with so many other Chumby configuration files, it may be in a non-standard location.  The structure of /etc/shadow is explained here:  http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/understand … adow-file/  I wouldn't even try to edit shadow directly as we know the passwd command exists on the Chumby even though adduser does not.