Google Made Changes in Webmaster Guidelines

Google webmaster guidelines are more like "SEO BIBLE" among industry people, at least to the SEO beginners. Now Google has significantly made a change in their webmaster guidelines.

Previous Guidelines Includes:

* Have other relevant sites link to yours.
* Submit it to Google at http://www.google.com/addurl.html.
* Submit a Sitemap as part of our Google Webmaster Tools. Google
uses your Sitemap to learn about the structure of your site and to
increase our coverage of your web pages.
* Make sure that all the sites that should know about your pages
are aware that your site is online.
* Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open
Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific
expert sites.

Present Guidelines Includes:

* Submit it to Google at http://www.google.com/addurl.html.
* Submit a Sitemap using Google Webmaster Tools. Google uses your
Sitemap to learn about the structure of your site and to increase our
coverage of your webpages.
* Make sure all the sites that should know about your pages are
aware your site is online.

So what could be the reason for google to make this step?
>>Are they not identifying a DMOZ link as a authoritative link?
>>Are they depromoting Yahoo Directory?
>>Do link popularity still hold value in search engine? (at least in Google)

And here in Google groups Googler "JohnMu" answering on this controversial topic and also asking for suggestions from fellow people what to add / remove from Google webmaster guidelines.