[Nook Touch Android Development] roustabout:
I just uploaded tiny noot, a very minimal root tool for the NST glowworm. I think it would probably also work for the simple touch, but I've lent mine out and cannot test it to confirm.

I am basically a cobbler here; many thanks to GabrialD, DeanG and the folks with the minimal touch root tools, which this is based on - and of course to mali100 and the CWR team for getting that on the Touch and Glowworm. Everything below is put together with parts from those projects using what I've learned at XDA and from Dean's nook color repartitioning scripts.

They make it possible for someone like me to knock out a package that's a little more convenient to work from than booting noogie and manually copying in files.

I am using the clockwork recovery zip installation mode for copying in the minimal set of files - I'm not trying to support the google apps or the many interesting screen refresh hacks.

I am not including a modified uRamdisk - the stock uRamdisk supports ADB, and you can get root via adb wireless simply by typing su, so I chose to leave well enough alone.

GabrialD has already released a modified uRamdisk for the glowworm (to support root by default as well as the light) but since stock works for my purposes, I'm not using the modified one.

What it does include:

su and busybox

nook color tools in /system, so that nonmarket apps can be installed

adb wireless

ADW launcher

Amazon appstore, so there's at least once source of "easy" apps

Button Savior

Nook Touch Tools

Supermanager and the Busybox updater interface

The install process is three steps. Four if you decide - and you should - to make a backup of your device before you start. (that process is: make the noogie disk. boot from noogie. connect to your computer. dump the NSTG or NST using dd or another disk imaging tool, and is described in more detail with tips for lots of different operating systems at http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1142983 That backup will let you restore your entire device to a known working configuration.

Download mali100's nook touch CWR disk discussed in this thread:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1360994

the file itself is here:

http://xdaforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=806433&d=1323121269

unzip the file and then write the .img file to an sdcard with your disk imaging tool of choice (dd in linux or win32 disk imager are two I use)

Once you've imaged the SD card, copy in these two zipfiles - leave them zipped:

http://www.mediafire.com/?ig75l5b9c24e7q6

http://www.mediafire.com/?2tfitzt97qqfaw7

Apply 1 of 2, then reboot, then

Apply 2 of 2

then remove your SD card and reboot. Although I have not gotten all the commands to run out of a single zipfile, Zydraka noticed, I think correctly, that you can run first the one and then the second without needing to reboot in between. I have done it that way successfully.

I tried putting all commands (copying the files, then setting permissions) into one file and the rooting process aborted in an ugly way. I ultimately needed to reimage the device to restore the oddly hosed /rom partition. After reimaging I was able to root successfully by running the two clockwork scripts back to back without a reboot.

A (very brief) guide to the CWR interface, for those who don't know it:

You will know your card is made correctly when you put it in your device and power on, and you see a clockwork gear nibbling at a nook N. Be patient while CWR loads; you will get to a screen with selectable menu choices.

Navigate up and down with the righthand buttons; navigate back with the lefthand upper button; choose an item or run a command using the raised n button.

Navigate down to "install zip file from sdcard" and hit N

Hit N again to "Choose Zip File from SDcard"

Navigate down to the first zip (labeled 1 of 2) and hit the n button

navigate to "yes - install"

hit the N button

once the first script is done, use the N button to navigate to and apply zip 2 of 2.

navigate back to the reboot menu using the lefthand side buttons. Once you are at the reboot menu item, you can pull the card, then reboot.

I used a 256 meg sdcard I had in the house for making the CWR disk. I find that to be a very convenient size for these disks - big enough to put a few files onto, not so big I wish I hadn't set it up as a CWR disk.