I think you're right to a certain extent -- CYOA and parser-based IF are not the same thing and appeal to different (albeit overlapping) audiences and creators

I think you're right to a certain extent -- CYOA and parser-based IF are not the same thing and appeal to different (albeit overlapping) audiences and creators -- but also that the IF community is correct that CYOA is a perfectly legitimate form of "interactive fiction", as are a lot of hypertext works. Just like the roguelike community has found, it's healthier to expand the territory than to fortify the walls. Parser-based IF is better off than it's been in years and the increased energy brought to the community by Twine and other CYOA systems is a big part of that.