I don't really know what my device actually IS, I just know that it worked with this configuration in programmers.txt:
avrisp.name=Ponyserial
avrisp.communication=serial
avrisp.protocol=ponyser
avrisp.speed=19200
as you can see, it's a serial programmer. Hardware-wise, it only uses a few components:
here's the schematic:
I don't think any of that is at issue, though. The problem is that Arduino1.0.3 doesn't seem to obey the dictates of programmers.txt. I was hoping someone who has dealt with this issue could tell me what my problem is.