IBM i modernization with AJAX and SOA

I encourage you to read
http://www.itjungle.com/fhs/fhs020811-story01.html and comment on these
points:

* 18 months ago . . . completely overhaul the user interface,
* . . . is a strong advocate of coding in RPG.
* the "screen scraper" tool from Seagull Software delivered a Web
interface . . . it wasn't a satisfactory long-term solution.
* decided to do the hard thing: completely separate the UI layer
from the application layer.
* Every physical file . . . now has a defined API that allows the
basics, including adding, changing, and deleting records
* a complete Web 2.0 AJAX-based Web browser solution that is
leveraging all the Web services into the physical files
* Few IBM i vendors have achieved true separation of business
logic and presentation, making Island Pacific's SOA achievement that
much sweeter.
* [Island Pacific has] been critical of the development path that
IBM pushed upon its partners . . . "If we'd have listened to them on
WebFacing and HATS, we'd be in trouble"
* the new AJAX-based interface is actually more in line with IBM's
future technology direction
What say you as to their achievements?