Improving C++ error output?

[Jon Salz <jsalz-gccbbf at mail dot jsalz dot net>]

To most developers I know, the number one annoying thing about C++/STL
programming is deciphering inane error messages.  (For example, forget
to declare an iostream operator << for your data type, and you're
treated to a 75-line error message detailing all the candidate operator
<<s; informative, but way *too* informative.)

I've written a g++ output processor called WTF (a little Perl hack) to
ease the pain.  I find it extremely useful, but it *is* a hack after
all; it isn't 100% effective at processing g++ error output. 
(http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=63439)

Has there been any work towards making g++ error output easily
machine-readable?  E.g., a command-line flag --error-format=xml causing
errors to be output in XML.  If I did some work toward this end, would
it have a shot at being accepted into the g++ tree?

- Jon