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Did I just hear this right? Microsoft activation servers will allow new XP installs after doomsday?

Okay, sit on down. You're gonna need to.
Written by David Gewirtz, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft never ceases to baffle me with their policies. For the past few years, we've had this ongoing hullabaloo about the end of support for Windows XP, come April 8, 2014. I even called it the XPocalypse.

You all know the story. Microsoft will stop updating and patching XP after that date. All the bad guys the world over are rubbing their hands together with glee about all the systems that are justing waiting to be pwned.

Microsoft says "Move on." It's time. XP is old. Vista came and went. Windows 7 came and stayed. Windows 8, well, Windows 8 is it's own long story. The point is, XP is ancient and it's time to let it die a dignified death, says my ZDNet colleague Ed Bott.

Fine. I get all that. I even agree with all that.

Kill XP. Don't support it. Don't upgrade it. Don't do security patches for it. Don't even let Microsoft Security Essentials update on XP. Just. Let. It. Die.

This is the mantra we've been getting from Redmond. XP is going to die.

And then. If this were video, you'd see me shaking my my fist at the sky with a furious expression on my face. Because I read something. Something that's UN-EFFIN-BELIEVABLE.

Okay, sit on down. You're gonna need to.

Our own Mary Jo Foley wrote what you'd think would be a harmless little piece. We all pretty much know the story, so what new and un-effin could we possibly discover from her Windows XP end of support in April: Three more questions answered?

Here it is. Microsoft is stopping all support for XP. They're stopping all updates of XP. They're stopping all security for XP. But -- oh my gosh I can't believe I'm typing this -- if you decide to install XP and activate it after April 8, they're going to let you.

That's right. The Microsoft activation servers will allow new XP installs to activate after doomsday.

W-effin-T-effin-F?

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