The API is available but not everyone has switched to it. There is a valid argument for backwards compatibility, like Linus refusing to break userspace even when it means rejecting some improvements. However, I'm in full agreement with you here. The benefit of usability improvements far outweighs the disadvantages of breaking screen scrapers, especially when so many of those scrapers exist solely to make HN more mobile friendly.
The API is available but not everyone has switched to it. There is a valid argument for backwards compatibility, like Linus refusing to break userspace even when it means rejecting some improvements. However, I'm in full agreement with you here. The benefit of usability improvements far outweighs the disadvantages of breaking screen scrapers, especially when so many of those scrapers exist solely to make HN more mobile friendly.
The HN API still has some important gaps. But you have to expect the HTML to change, so cautious scrapers never hardcode XPaths!