error in compiling 1.8.7

[Bill Suit]

Have tried several times to compile 1.8.7 and the following is the same
in all instances:
....
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[3]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/gnucash-1.8.7/work/gnucash-docs-1.8.3/guide'
make[2]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/gnucash-1.8.7/work/gnucash-docs-1.8.3/guide'
make[1]: Leaving directory
`/var/tmp/portage/gnucash-1.8.7/work/gnucash-docs-1.8.3/guide'
Making install in doc-tools
make[1]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/gnucash-1.8.7/work/gnucash-docs-1.8.3/doc-tools'
make[2]: Entering directory
`/var/tmp/portage/gnucash-1.8.7/work/gnucash-docs-1.8.3/doc-tools'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
if test -r help-search-index.db; then \
rm -f help-search-index.db; \
fi
./build-help-index \
./dbadd \
./help-search-index.db \
../help/C/gnucash-help/*.html \
../guide/C/gnucash-guide/*.html;
Error writing data.

and there it sits, never completing. Thoughts and suggestions welcome.
This is on a gentoo box with kernel 2.6.0-test5-mm4,gcc 3.2.1. 1.8.5 is
running just fine.