Inkwell won't insert into TextFields echoing asterisks

(Apple bug report # 3811376)

Steps to reproduce:

1. Connect a graphics tablet such as a Wacom Graphire2 to the computer running Macintosh Java 1.4.2 and install the tablet. 
2. In Inkwell, choose the "Allow me to write anywhere" option and turn "Handwriting recognition" on. 
3. Run the applet on this page in Safari using Macintosh Java 1.4.2.
4. Try to insert text into the TextField on the left (regular) and right (echoing asterisks).

Problem:  Inkwell won't insert text into the TextField on the right (echoing asterisks).

Other environments:  Everything works fine in Java 1.3 (using Internet Explorer, frozen at 1.3) and on Windows XP Tablet Edition SP2 (Tablet 2005).

Inkwell may seem like a backwater today but it will become very important if Apple releases a tablet computer.

If you have any insights, workarounds or comments about this test page please contact Mickey Segal.  A listing of  many Java resources is at this link.

Source code:

import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class ink_badly extends Applet {

public void init()
{
    setBackground(new Color(225,225, 255));
    TextField regularTextField = new TextField(5);
    add(regularTextField);
    TextField starEchoTextField = new TextField(5);
    add(starEchoTextField);
    starEchoTextField.setEchoChar('*');
}
} // END OF Class ink_badly