diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 49f21c8c7..ee84a7b99 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2010-08-09  Robert Larice
+ * src/frontend/display.c ,
+ * src/frontend/parser/input.c ,
+ * src/frontend/plotting/x11.c ,
+ * src/main.c :
+    fix a busy waiting loop when using editline. rl_event_hook must block until
+      there is some work to do. (select on stdin and the X11 socket).
+    For non-X11, don't use rl_event_hook at all.
+
 2010-08-09  Robert Larice
  * src/spicelib/analysis/cktmapn.c :
     bug fix, incorrect indirection level, yet without consequence,
diff --git a/src/frontend/display.c b/src/frontend/display.c
index a308996f9..b34dd3ffd 100644
--- a/src/frontend/display.c
+++ b/src/frontend/display.c
@@ -320,8 +320,8 @@ gen_Input(REQUEST *request, RESPONSE *response)
 
     switch (request->option) {
       case char_option:
-        response->reply.ch = inchar(request->fp);
-        response->option = request->option;
+	if (response)
+	    response->option = request->option;
         break;
       default:
         /* just ignore, since we don't want a million error messages */
diff --git a/src/frontend/parser/input.c b/src/frontend/parser/input.c
index 0d9d24e90..1706e9728 100644
--- a/src/frontend/parser/input.c
+++ b/src/frontend/parser/input.c
@@ -57,6 +57,6 @@ input(FILE *fp)
     request.option = char_option;
     request.fp = fp;
     Input(&request, &response);
-    return(response.reply.ch);
+    return(inchar(fp));
 
 }
diff --git a/src/frontend/plotting/x11.c b/src/frontend/plotting/x11.c
index accd8d729..c4dd4c280 100644
--- a/src/frontend/plotting/x11.c
+++ b/src/frontend/plotting/x11.c
@@ -984,7 +984,6 @@ X11_Input(REQUEST *request, RESPONSE *response)
 		      }
 
 		      if (FD_ISSET (fileno(request->fp), &rfds)) {
-			    response->reply.ch = inchar(request->fp);
 			    goto out;
 		      }
 
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 31b58adb8..38a0bcfb6 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -162,12 +162,15 @@ static void app_rl_readlines(void);
 static char * prompt(void);
 #endif /* HAVE_GNUREADLINE || HAVE_BSDEDITLINE */
 
+#ifndef X_DISPLAY_MISSING
+#include "frontend/plotting/x11.h"
 #ifdef HAVE_GNUREADLINE
-static int rl_event_func(void) ;
+static int app_event_func(void) ;
 #endif /* HAVE_GNUREADLINE || HAVE_BSDEDITLINE */
 #ifdef HAVE_BSDEDITLINE
-static void rl_event_func(void) ;
+static void app_event_func(void) ;
 #endif /* HAVE_BSDEDITLINE */
+#endif
 
 static void show_help(void);
 static void show_version(void);
@@ -481,16 +484,18 @@ prompt(void)
 }
 #endif /* HAVE_GNUREADLINE || HAVE_BSDEDITLINE */
 
+#ifndef X_DISPLAY_MISSING
 #ifdef HAVE_GNUREADLINE
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* Process device events in Readline's hook since there is no where
    else to do it now - AV */
 static int
-rl_event_func(void)
+app_event_func(void)
 /* called by GNU readline periodically to know what to do about keypresses */
 {
-    static REQUEST reqst = { checkup_option, 0 };
-    Input(&reqst, NULL);
+    static REQUEST reqst = { char_option, 0 };
+    reqst.fp = rl_instream;
+    X11_Input(&reqst, NULL);
     return 0;
 }
 #endif /* HAVE_GNUREADLINE */
@@ -500,13 +505,15 @@ rl_event_func(void)
 /* Process device events in Editline's hook.
    similar to the readline function above but returns void */
 static void
-rl_event_func()
+app_event_func(void)
 /* called by GNU readline periodically to know what to do about keypresses */
 {
-    static REQUEST reqst = { checkup_option, 0 };
-    Input(&reqst, NULL);
+    static REQUEST reqst = { char_option, 0 };
+    reqst.fp = rl_instream;
+    X11_Input(&reqst, NULL);
 }
 #endif /* HAVE_BSDEDITLINE */
+#endif
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* This is the command processing loop for spice and nutmeg.
@@ -532,7 +539,10 @@ app_rl_readlines(void)
     rl_readline_name = application_name;
     rl_instream = cp_in;
     rl_outstream = cp_out;
-    rl_event_hook = rl_event_func;
+#ifndef X_DISPLAY_MISSING
+    if(dispdev->Input == X11_Input)
+        rl_event_hook = app_event_func;
+#endif
     rl_catch_signals = 0;   /* disable signal handling  */
 
     /* sjb - what to do for editline?