Both web and desktop platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. Good arguments can be made for both. Hybrid apps (part web, part desktop) also have advantages/disadvantages in this regard.
Application development should always be driven by requirements, not technology trends or religious prefs or comparative generalized advantages/disadvantages.
Ever try to sell a web app to folks in areas of the US or other countries where broadband access is spotty or non-existant? :) What about mobile access? Native, web-based, or hybrid? What about local access to data when there is no Internet connection, if it is required? Etc.
Start with the application requirement and work your way back to the technology. When you do that, you make the right decisions and end up with the best platform for the project at hand.
Example: Take the comment that reads, "Desktop applications give a far superior user experience than web applications." If the requirement (A) demands anywhere/anytime access from any computer equipped with a web browser and Internet access, and (B) also demands desktop-like performance (say, live database data that doesn't require page refreshes), then (C) the developer is led to consider technologies such as AJAX, Flash, Silverlight, Java, or even native clients that load as a browser control.
I'm just saying, again, be requirements driven, not technology driven.
