[Mono-dev] Assigned bug reports policy?

[Robert Wilkens]

I have a general question, and it is a matter of etiquette for me (am I violating it) when I do something:

I recently, within the last few weeks when i was new to this stuff (still am, i know), took on a problem report that was marked as assigned to someone else.  I submitted a fix, though, and it was accepted.

But I have to ask: In general when something is assigned, should i try to avoid (or should i ask?) before working on it?

It is too late for me to start on a problem tonight, and i may or may not have time tomorrow, but I was looking at something that looked interesting, but i saw it was assigned.  I just want to know the general rule for assigned issues.  I know it should be harmless to look into problems without necessarily submitting a fix, and/or making an observation or suggestion.  At least in theory.

-Rob
p.s. I know WinForm is a community supported part of mono, but i have interests in using mono beyond that, in the future, so I want to know if it is acceptable for me to attempt to contribute to other portions.  i do not want to accept any assignments on bug reports, because at this stage i cannot be responsible to necessarily get something done in a timely manner, i can't even guarantee i won't lose interest altogether and go do something else with my spare time.