setting expectations

[Nate Thompson <nate thebog ml org>]

A poor sap stands at the edge of a well, looking down into the deep,
dark, black unknown.  He hears conversation coming from the depths.  He
decides that he has a question or a comment to add to this discussion. 
He talks, at first meekly, into the well.  He hears nothing answering
him back.

Undeterred, the poor sap decides to ask again, this time louder.  He
screams into the well and waits for an answer.  At last he hears
something coming back....  Alas, it is only the sound of his own voice,
mocking him as it echoes back to him from the deep, dark, black hole.

OK,

So I have been trying to compile Gnome from CVS.  I am getting errors. 
Michael Harnois has been getting these (apparently same) errors.  We are
both having trouble compiling gnome-core.  There is a message with a
subject of, "gnome-core bombs mightily" describing the error.  A day
later there is another message repeating the error.  I am having the
same problem, so I speak up also.

My question is this:  what should my expectations be as to getting a
question / problem at least acknowledged on this list?  I have seen many
posts recently about this problem.  I understand that the programmers
are busy.  What can we do to resolve this issue?

****  No, I don't think a question should have to be posed 2-5 times to
get a response.

I would love to be able to answer some of these questions.  However, I
obviously don't know enough to do this yet.  I will gladly go look in
the faq.  The information I am asking for is not in the faq.

****   The FAQ, by the way, tells us to ask questions on this list!!!!

I don't mean to sound too angry.  It is, however, frustrating to find a
reference, ala the faq, which tells us to ask questions on this list,
only to never get questions answered.

PLEASE HELP!

Nate Thompson
nate@thebog.ml.org