y-or-n-p, emacs -l, wristwatch cursor

[dan@telent.net]

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In GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i386-debian-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2002-03-22 on raven, modified by Debian
configured using `configure  i386-debian-linux-gnu --prefix=/usr --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --localstatedir=/var/lib --infodir=/usr/share/info --mandir=/usr/share/man --with-pop=yes --with-x=yes --with-x-toolkit=athena --without-gif'
Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: C
  locale-coding-system: nil
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Please describe exactly what actions triggered the bug
and the precise symptoms of the bug:

I have a file foo.el, containing the single line

(y-or-n-p "hello")

I start emacs and load this file with the command 

emacs --no-site-file -q -l foo.el

and am prompted in the echo area/minibuffer with "hello(y or n) ".
After pressing one of 'y' or 'n', the text cursor starts flashing and
then the mouse pointer changes into the wristwatch-shaped 'wait'
cursor, and stays like that until I press C-g.  While the wait pointer
is active, the menus and toolbars do nothing when clicked on.

I do not see this behaviour if I replace the contents of foo.el with

(let ((last-nonmenu-event nil)) (y-or-n-p "foo"))

and repeat, but that involves popup dialog boxes, which I wish to avoid
for other reasons.

Any ideas?

Recent input:
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> 
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> 
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> 
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> 
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> 
<mouse-movement> <mouse-movement> <drag-mouse-1> <help-echo> 
M-x e m a c s - <tab> v <tab> <return> <help-echo> 
<down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <up> 
<right> C-a C-k C-k <tab> <down> C-a <left> <backspace> 
<down> <tab> C-x C-s <help-echo> <help-echo> <down-mouse-1> 
<mouse-1> <help-echo> C-h i C-x 1 u <next> u <up> <up> 
<up> <up> <up> <up> <up> <return> SPC SPC SPC C-x 5 
2 <switch-frame> <help-echo> <switch-frame> <switch-frame> 
M-x r e p o r t - e m a c s - b u g <return>

Recent messages:
Wrote /home/dan/src/circle/circle/upstream/circle/circle.el
.emacs changed on disk; really edit the buffer? (y, n, r or C-h) 
byte-code: File reverted: /home/dan/.emacs
Mark set
Wrote /home/dan/.emacs
Wrote /home/dan/src/circle/circle/upstream/circle/circle.el [2 times]
Making completion list...
GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i386-debian-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars) of 2002-03-22 on raven, modified by Debian
Wrote /home/dan/src/circle/circle/upstream/circle/circle.el
Loading emacsbug...done