Development for Maemo really does require a bit of knowledge regarding Linux and the tools available on it. This isn't terribly surprising, considering that Maemo is just another Linux distribution, albeit with a very specific hardware focus.

If you want to develop for Maemo using C (as opposed to Python) then I highly recommend learning how to work in Linux. In fact, I'd suggest that if you want a chance at getting something in the repositories, it will be essential.