title: How does one debug the processing of a JComboBox's actionEvent in Eclipse and avoid locking up the windowing system?
body: <p>I have written an Eclipse plugin that has a Swing GUI.  To debug the plugin, I spawn a secondary Eclipse workspace.  I then set a breakpoint on a method that gets called by an <code>actionPerformed</code> method when a menu item is chosen from a JComboBox.</p>
  
  <p>When I choose an item from the JComboBox, my GUI freezes with the entire JComboBox's menu shown.  The KDE icon representing the Eclipse debugging workspace flashes as it usually does when a breakpoint is hit.  Unfortunately, at this point, my KDE session is hosed.  I can move my mouse about, but selecting any window or icon has no effect (including the flashing Eclipse debugging icon).  I can't do anything in KDE, so I go to a regular terminal window via  and kill off the eclipse process.  This enables me to do things in KDE again.</p>
  
  <p>What can I do to avoid this lockup in KDE 4.5.5 and debug my code?  Here are some of the relevant Java and Eclipse properties:</p>
  
  <pre><code>eclipse.buildId=M20100909-0800
  eclipse.commands=-os
  linux
  -ws
  gtk
  -arch
  x86
  -showsplash
  /am/embassy/vol/x6/eclipse/eclipse-jee-helios-SR1//plugins/org.eclipse.platform_3.6.1.v201009090800/splash.bmp
  -launcher
  /am/embassy/vol/x6/eclipse/eclipse-jee-helios-SR1/eclipse
  -name
  Eclipse
  --launcher.library
  /am/embassy/vol/x6/eclipse/eclipse-jee-helios-SR1//plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.gtk.linux.x86_1.1.1.R36x_v20100810/eclipse_1309.so
  -startup
  /am/embassy/vol/x6/eclipse/eclipse-jee-helios-SR1//plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.1.0.v20100507.jar
  -product
  org.eclipse.epp.package.jee.product
  -clean
  -debug
  -vm
  /usr/pkg/java/sun-6/bin/../lib/i386/client/libjvm.so
  java.awt.graphicsenv=sun.awt.X11GraphicsEnvironment
  java.awt.printerjob=sun.print.PSPrinterJob
  java.class.path=/am/embassy/vol/x6/eclipse/eclipse-jee-helios-SR1//plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.1.0.v20100507.jar
  java.class.version=50.0
  java.endorsed.dirs=/usr/pkg/java/sun-6/lib/endorsed
  java.ext.dirs=/usr/pkg/java/sun-6/lib/ext:/usr/java/packages/lib/ext
  java.home=/usr/pkg/java/sun-6
  java.library.path=/usr/pkg/java/sun-6/lib/i386/client:/usr/pkg/java/sun-6/lib/i386:/usr/pkg/lib:::/usr/java/packages/lib/i386:/lib:/usr/lib
  java.runtime.name=Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment
  java.runtime.version=1.6.0_22-b04
  java.specification.name=Java Platform API Specification
  java.specification.vendor=Sun Microsystems Inc.
  java.specification.version=1.6
  java.vendor=Sun Microsystems Inc.
  java.version=1.6.0_22
  java.vm.info=mixed mode, sharing
  java.vm.name=Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM
  java.vm.specification.name=Java Virtual Machine Specification
  java.vm.specification.vendor=Sun Microsystems Inc.
  java.vm.specification.version=1.0
  java.vm.vendor=Sun Microsystems Inc.
  java.vm.version=17.1-b03
  </code></pre>