Sheldon Brown suggests that the shimano 'link wire' on modern cantis is a good thing. Normally that would be enough for me but I seem to recall some dissent on here about that so what is the general opinion from the assembled gurus?

(On a Genesis Vapour with OE Shimano cantis)

Links used to be rubbish, but that's because they often came supplied too long. If you get the right lengths they're fine, and easier to set up (and if you're a mechanical numpty, they're less likely to send you over the bars if you louse up the front brake). Get the wrong lengths and they're poop, of course. Yokes give you more option to accommodate quirky personal preferences or cock it all up, delete as applicable.

what bez said

I thought they'd been invented as a safety feature (i.e. to stop claims) if the cable snaps. Not as good as a straddle cable in my experiance