When I try to use the api, the pogoplug running cgminer crashes. I'm wondering if it has to do with running off a USB stick and cgminer using libusb. I've been using since 3.8. No console on pogoplug (without soldering a special USB cable - which I tried and failed). cgminer does not run as root, so it really shouldn't be able to crash the system - unless it is one of those infinite thread/fork bugs.
You'll have to find someone in one of the pogoplug threads and ask them what's wrong with how they build it.
Also note that we have a modified libusb in cgminer and don't use the system libusb since libusb has a bug on many systems that makes timeouts fail and mining thus doesn't work properly.
If there's something special about making libusb work on a pogoplug then someone who uses one will need to submit changes to cgminer.
FYI there are no such problems on RPi.