Not only looks -- directory search missing :-( (Score 3, Interesting)

This is not just a change in look and feel. Google has also removed functionality. Previously, web searches was matched against Google Directory (dmoz). The result was presented in two ways:

1. If your search matched a category, it was displayed at the top.
2. If a particular hit matched a site in the directory, the category for this site was shown above the "URL - cached" line of the hit.

The old behaviour can still be seen when using an odd language setting (like Swedish chef). See for instance this search for "java":
http://www.google.com/search?hl=xx-bork&q=java and compare it with the new google interface:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=java

I think this is a sad loss of functionality. The link to directory categories served two purposes for me: First, it was some kind of extra "quality" check -- if a web site was listed in the directory, it was more likely to be the site I was looking for. Second, it informed me in a non-intrusive way that a directory category existed that'd probably help me in my search.

And to add insult to injury, Google has removed the simple link to Directory from the "tabs", so you have to first click "More>>" to find the Directory search, making it even hard to use it. I wonder if this is the first step in stopping to support the dmoz directory?