Why? Lots of reasons, here are a few:

1. Only have to change code in one place rather than many (Which is what I want when I plan to quickly deploy - and add new features in response to a end users requirements.)
2. Easier to fix bugs and add features in one place rather than many.
3. HTML is designed to display information across platforms.
4. I don't have to worry about Perl being on someones machine or about building a executable or about their environment.
5. I most likely don't have to train somone how to use the Web based application.
6. I can more easily limit access to the information because that capability is built into most web servers.
7. Implementation would be fast and flexible.

Honestly, with CSS, web pages can be very sophisticated and look great.
I simply offered my opinion based on my experiences with doing it both ways. He said it was not required, he didn't say, it was not acceptable to use the web.

Cheers,
JamesNC