Hi Phil,
Yes, I compiled cgminer with --enable-hashfast on my xubuntu. It can detect HF device but can not enable the device, that's why I think it's permission issue.
You'll need to follow the instructions for enabling the udev rules if you want to run as a non-root user:
Create a file called "01-hashfast.rules" in the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory containing the following lines:
ATTRS{idVendor}=="297c", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0001", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="297c", ATTRS{idProduct}=="8001", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev"
You will have to be root or sudo'd to create the file.
-Phil