I saw this thread and freaked out some and then I went to check. I am using the beta new-entry page and I am not having the problem of defaulting to the wrong privacy.
Switching to the beta new-entry page will not solve anyone's "can't use the rich text editor" problem, mind you. I've been using the beta so long I'd honestly forgotten there's a rich text editor at all! And the not-beta new-entry page not respecting your privacy default is a Major Problem. But if you are okay with learning a little HTML—like, here I'm typing <em>is</em> to get 'is' emphasized and — to use the dash character I want—then you might consider switching to the beta new-entry page. :)
ETA: ...comment subject lines should still be able to do the thing with the usernames, right?
highlighting the privacy issue here, <user name=mark>
Switching to the beta new-entry page will not solve anyone's "can't use the rich text editor" problem, mind you. I've been using the beta so long I'd honestly forgotten there's a rich text editor at all! And the not-beta new-entry page not respecting your privacy default is a Major Problem. But if you are okay with learning a little HTML—like, here I'm typing <em>is</em> to get 'is' emphasized and — to use the dash character I want—then you might consider switching to the beta new-entry page. :)
ETA: ...comment subject lines should still be able to do the thing with the usernames, right?