To show just how crazy Microsoft's software validation system is, Boing Boing notes this morning that Microsoft's validation server has gone offline and that it will likely remain down for a few days. Why does this matter? Because XP and Vista rely on checking in with this validation server to allow full functionality in the operating system. Without being able to check in, your machine thinks that the installed OS is a fake and it disables some features. Read more on Boing Boing, and once again be glad that you use a Mac... UPDATE: It looks like Microsoft fixed the problem around 3 p.m. PST, nearly 24-hours after it started. Mary Jo Foley has the story...

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