Google Discontinues Cached Search Links

Google's decision to retire its cached link feature marks a significant shift in how archived web content is accessed, with the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine emerging as a potential alternative.

• Google has officially retired the cached link feature, a long-standing tool for accessing archived webpages.
• Danny Sullivan, Google Search Liaison, suggests a possible partnership with the Internet Archive to offer historical page views through the 'About This Result' feature.
• The removal of cached links is part of Google's broader efforts to improve efficiency and reduce data storage costs.
• Users can still access some cached pages by typing 'cache:' followed by a URL in Google Search, or by using browser extensions like the Official Wayback Machine Extension.
• The retirement of Google's cached links shifts the responsibility of archiving web content more heavily onto the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine.

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