Will earlier versions of WLM continue to work with the Microsoft accounts?

Original Title: POPping MS Webmail accounts.

Further to the Microsoft announcement that the email client 'Windows Live Mail 2012' will soon be denied POP/IMAP access to all MS Webmail accounts (@msn, @hotmail, etc.), I wonder:  1) Will earlier versions of WLM continue to work with these accounts;  2) Will other mail clients (eg: Thunderbird) similarly be denied POP/IMAP access?  This 'service upgrade' is really most inconvenient.