while i like the term "text adventure" simply because that's what i grew up with, the broader term "interactive fiction" has genuinely provided room for people to experiment with the genre. it's not just a matter of "same thing, different label slapped on it"; if i say "design a text adventure" and "design a work of interactive fiction" the latter immediately suggests a lot more possibilities.
The Inform 7 docs go into this a little bit - a "text adventure" has aspects commonly associated with a game.. a player, a score, a win and lose condition, puzzles to solve, and so forth.
A work of "interactive fiction" need not necessarily be a game with the usual things that go along with that.
