I assume these changes to what users with IP usernames can do- i.e. search special pages & write/view comments, were made facing challenges in moderating traffic from bots and malicious vandalism, but why not a toggle feature? I actually use my wiki offline to preview items and make minor edits; and nobody, to my knowledge, outside Staff was made aware of these drastic restrictions until they dropped. Yes, they made a change within Discussions, but that's all I've heard- and I believe a toggle is warranted as well, not every wiki has a a large viewerbase, and the engagement from logged-out users is beneficial.
I know this isn't the place to request these changes, I'm simply curious as to what fellow admins think?