A programming background is not necessarily the issue. Being able to work one's way around the Linux file system and edit files are the basics required. If you can first accomplish the following, then let me know and I can attempt to guide you further.

You need to have enabled some form of root access to the device in order to effect installation. Go to http://maemo.org/maemowiki/HowDoiBecomeRoot2 for any guidance you may need on how to do that. Having done so, it will now be assumed that you have xterm and access to root via ssh established.