Yes. The Java Edit Pane does support some rudimentary HTML but nothing
close to the level that I would need it as. Then I would ask to you,
given a similar situation where you need a program to handle some
trivial aspects and filling out form information but then human
interaction to complete the process, can you give me a better idea to
accomplish such a task?

This is not true. A counter example would be Google Talk, which takes
you from the Google talk application directly to your inbox, at a click.
Another recent example is Amazon, which included a session id in the
"unsubscribe" link of an email that they sent me. Conceptually, there is
nothing difficult about this.

The way to do it is to have a session identifier that can be carried
between the thick client and the browser in the URL.

e.g. Log in to the app via the thick client. The app then generates a
SessionID, and gives it to the thick client. When desired, the thick
client uses something like BrowserLauncher to open your browser to a
link that includes the sessionid in the URL. The app sees the request
for that specific page, maybe generates a sessioncookie that is set in
the response, but associates that session cookie with the session that
was created when you logged in via the thick client.

Pretty straightforward, IF you control the server side of things as
well. AND the web app and the thick client are linked at the backend, of
course.

Rogan

That seems to be the easy way.  You sniff with a protocols sniffer to
figure out how things work, then go to Java where you have complete
control and few unknowns.

See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/cookie.html
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/sniffer.html