Correct. Bear in mind that there always have been growing pains, and that there always will be growing pains. It's perfectly normal. What matters is how we counter the growing pains.
agreed. However as the speed of growth accelerates it will place new strains on the community - IMHO.
Sure. As we grow bigger, the challenges we face grow bigger too. It isn't any different in life. When you are a kid, the challenges you face look big (eg. making it through high school, getting grades, breaking up with a girlfriend) but when you reflect on them at later age, they are peanuts. At later age, you have bigger challenges (getting a job, running a company, paying a loan, taking care of your family). It hasn't been any different in Drupal's lifecycle. To me, growing is learning to deal with bigger challenges (or growing pains).
3. Who is this product for? Drupal is for users who want to setup a website _and_ for developers who need a platform.
That's reasonable - but pretty ambitious. There aren't many products out there that are developers tools as well as non-web developers tools. As a matter of fact I can't think of any off hand at all. This doesn't mean that Drupal can't do it - it just means that it is new territory (the fun kind).
I don't think it is ambitious; it is merely logical. If we focus on making Drupal a great developer platform, then that implies that other developers use it to make products. If they can or have to make products using Drupal, we should be able to make a base product too, shouldn't we? In fact, by making a base product, we get better understanding of the shortcomings. Furthermore, by being (or attracting) both users and developers we have our own feedback loop. As you said, it makes for a much more interesting situation and a diverse community. I'd say that is how most -- if not all -- open source communities work so there are actually plenty of examples out there. (It is also why I fundamentally disagree with the stuff Ber wrote about making a choice and giving up one aspect.) -- Dries Buytaert :: http://www.buytaert.net/