diff --git a/libcurses/refresh.c b/libcurses/refresh.c
index 6fc4049..0f7ab06 100644
--- a/libcurses/refresh.c
+++ b/libcurses/refresh.c
@@ -1238,6 +1238,9 @@ makech(int wy)
 #endif
 #else
 				if (WCOL(*nsp) > 0) {
+/* FIXME: putting a character advances the cursor, but the internal
+   housekeeping is not updated, this prevents from using the now commented
+   out optimization in domvcur(). */
 					__cputwchar((int) nsp->ch);
 #ifdef DEBUG
 					__CTRACE(__CTRACE_REFRESH,
@@ -1318,8 +1321,18 @@ domvcur(oy, ox, ny, nx)
 	    oy, ox, ny, nx );
 #endif /* DEBUG */
 	__unsetattr(1);
+/* FIXME: we have to turn off this optimization, because the internal cursor
+   position is not updated in makech() when putting a character.
+   eventually this optimization was not here when the other code was written,
+   so the author assumed that calling domvcur() would take care of that.
+   this causes breakage in a loop like:
+   for(i...) { move(0, 0); addch("\\-/|"[i%4]); refresh(); sleep(1); }
+   which is supposed to create a rotating wheel animation, but actually wrote
+   "\-/|\-/|\-/|\-/|\-/|" etc to the screen since the move() call turned NOP. */
+#if 0
 	if ( oy == ny && ox == nx )
 		return;
+#endif
 	__mvcur(oy, ox, ny, nx, 1);
 }