Presumably for the same reason that people prefer native applications on iOS / Android to using web applications in mobile browsers.

This approach allows you to tailor the controls and the display to the specific application, thus creating a more pleasant experience.

Have you tried using HN in lynx?

Sure - I tried it out just now, it's fine.

Like any feature rich application, it takes a little time to learn the ins and outs, time saving features and such - but it's very usable for a site like hacker news, you can even navigate via the numbered links on the site.

http://brainstormsandraves.com/reference/lynx/lynxhelpforbeg...

I've tried HN on all the major text browsers in the past and they never seem to indent comments correctly. Without proper "spacial nesting" conversations are nearly impossible to follow.

I use links all the time for HN. It works extremely well.

I've tried with elinks and it works very well.

Have you tried using any of those browsers? I don't think they're very convenient for frequent use. In Lynx, it takes 10 keystrokes to navigate to link #1 on Hacker News. 11 if you count accepting the cookie, which you have to do every time you open it, since it doesn't persist your choice. In my terminal, Lynx fits 5 stories at a time and navigating from one to the other takes 5 key strokes.

I use Lynx frequently. You can, for example, press > to go to the next link in the 'same column', which cuts down the keystrokes to go to the next story to two keystrokes.

Oh, that's pretty cool.

If I'm browsing a site with a top menu in lynx I press the delete key to scroll down past the menu so I don't have to press down repeatedly. Then capital V at the cookie prompt rejects it "foreVer" (for the rest of the session).

My version does, however, default to nntp for news.* subdomains unless you supply the protocol, so that's annoying.

Or you can use elinks and click on the links with the mouse...

You can save your cookie options by setting an option in lynx:

http://lynx.invisible-island.net/current/README.cookies

As the poster below me points out, you can navigate links pretty fast in lynx when you get the hang of it and learn a few shortcuts.

I don't use it everyday, but do use it kind of frequently.