Since i posted this i have done more tests with it.
You can use Jpg, Bmp, and Gif "Pictures".
I mentioned somewhere that i now believe the whole hal "Interface",
is ONLY the input/output boxes.
The "Skin" should be called a Background.
You can enter coordinates for the buttons, but thats all. You are just telling it where to click.
Since it is just a Picture it has no Frame/Window to take advantage of any of Explorers functions, like Flash, Gif, Java, or any other plug-ins (active X items?).
You CAN make Gif or Jpeg animations and have them load but since it has no access to the functions, it only shows the first frame of any string of animation.
There is no way to make a plug-in to open it differently because that part is hard coded into Hal.
At least no way i have seen.
I have seen an Iframe plug in, however, it can be opened by Hal, you can not open Hal in a frame, or in windowed mode.
There could be a way to create a program/script to open Hal in a Window i think, Embedding it somehow Writing in VB, XML, or maybe java, but thats way above me at the moment.
I am still doing some reading and testing, IF, i ever find a way i will post it. Who knows how long that could take.
The more i read, it seems it may be easier to incorperate some of hal into a real AI, instead of trying to turn Hal into real AI.