@joerg_rw Sorry, call me blind, but where is the link to the script and the xterm commands? Maybe I misunderstand what you mean by the 'original post' but I'm not finding them.

Also, regarding all that strict sequencing of plugging in, setting hostmode, etc., what is the worst case scenario if you get that wrong? (I don't want to damage my N900 because I get home from the pub and decide that I need to charge in host mode right now!)