The goal was to have hyperlinks be more subdued and less of a distracting eyesore as the default behavior.
There should be configuration options to have the hyperlinks in the text color OR to have the hyperlinks be shown in the traditional blue (both text and underline). So you have CHOICES that allow all these differing user preferences to be accommodated.
If you want the old, traditional behavior, you CAN have it. Just toggle the setting.
There is also another choice available, for those who dislike visual noise, which is to have hyperlinks only shown when the mouse moves over one.
This combination of options gives users - who have a wide range of preferences - the ability to tailor the UI more closely to what they like.