> I think "traditional web links" is the main (and I think should be the only) product of a search engine This is context-dependent. If you're looking for a li

> I think "traditional web links" is the main (and I think should be the only) product of a search engine This is context-dependent. If you're looking for a link, then you're looking for a link; but more often than not, you're actually looking for answers. Say you're looking up an exchange rate or the value of a stock; converting units; checking the weather; or just want to look up an actor's photo. Why would you click and wait for a (likely, slow & ad-infested) page to load, if the search engine can provide factually correct data without any extra steps? How often do you read past the first paragraph on Wikipedia? If you want to dive in / verify any of that information, it's still all just a click away. But having to only do one thing instead of two is almost the definition of technological progress.