Linear pull brakes are nothing new.  The Cheap Trick was one of the more
popular pre-V linear pull brakes.  Then came Shimano, with their big
promotion and racer support, took these brakes from being aftermarket
equipment to standard OEM parts.
-Most of the linear pull brakes require more cable pull, normal levers can
be used, however, it will give the rider a very mushy feel and the
performance will not be optimal.  Keep in mind that a mushy feel usually
gives you more modulation.
-96 Shimano XT V brakes had problem with the bushing wearing out too
quickly, creating loud squeals.  A kit is available free of charge from
your dealer to fix this problem.
-The main advantage of this setup is that it is much easier to properly
install the brakes.  Because of this, a lot of people believe that these
brakes are more powerful, but in fact, they were riding with poorly
adjusted canti's.  Check http://www.bontrager.com for more info on how to
setup the brakes properly.  Keith Bontrager has a very good write up on
how to do so.  Kristan Roberge also has a good tech page on this subject
at http://www.magi.com/~kroberge/kmrtop.html
-If you are planning to ask whether to buy them or not, and you are going
to post in the newsgroup, you will receive a lot of messages for cantis
and a lot for V's.  The fact is that most people will probably have an
easier time with them when it comes to adjusting, but if you want to save
a few bucks and still get the same performance, cantis will do the trick
just fine.  I perfer cantis, and once you get good at adjusting them, you
can adjust them better than most v's in about 10 minutes.