A little help understanding

Hey guys, just adding to the endless stream of noob questions you get. I read the tutorial on the site but it didn't seem to explain things fully.

Do you need a passcard if you only plan to run homebrew applications? For example, can I simply buy a Max Media Launcher and a CF/SD card and run homebrew stuff from there, or do I have to buy a passcard?

I have no plans to run roms on my new DS, but a few of the apps (text editors!) and emulators (Scummm) have caught my eye. Do I really need to outlay a lot of cash?

just the max media launcher + a CF GBAMP2 will work for text editors and scumm ;)

What about Moonshell? I was also considering playing a bit of media. But cheers for your help so far.
And there specific types of CF/SD card that only work with these solutions? Like you mentioned GBAmp2, I couldn't just take a normal CF card from my camera for example??