Shocks are still the same nick apert from the ktm which fixes direct to the swingarm. The reason more people can get away with casing jumps is that the level of fitness and rider ability has increased loads over the years. Also everybody is getting used to mahoosive jumps. Go club racing and you'll still see riders bouncing off left right and centre
One thing i have noticed is the ammount of people getting their suspension set for their weight at lower rider levels, this does make a world of difference.
Yam, honda and suzuki are all still using the linkages under the swingarm.