7 ms·

Amazon, Microsoft join Italy’s initiative to offer free Wi-Fi, eBooks

153 points by Lagogarda 7y ago

OJFord 7y ago
I'm fairly concerned about SARS-CoV-2, and think it's going to be absolutely awful - but although it's already terrible in Italy I don't think it's yet terrible enough that I believe this is a genuine outpouring of moral solidarity. Maybe that doesn't matter, but my gut reaction is pretty far from 'oh that's jolly good of them'.
- ganoushoreilly 7y ago
  I got an email from Meraki today capitalizing on the virus, encouraging me to run a few demos of the teleworker units. The whole thing was about saving my employees from exposure. It's absolutely gross.
  - mjburgess 7y ago
    I don't quite get why it's gross. Presumably you'd want to find wfm/etc. solutions ?
    - enumjorge 7y ago
      If the company came across as trying to cash in on an international crisis, I can see why that would be off putting.
    - urda 7y ago
      Because A company capitalizing on a crisis for personal gain is disgusting. Simple stuff.
- rwmurrayVT 7y ago
  I saw a thread on r/sales asking how the virus was impacting people's quarters. There were several sales people reporting that their SaaS leads were coming in so quickly they were almost overwhelmed.
Kipters 7y ago
As far as I can see, Teams is going to gain A TON of users in the coming weeks, most universities and schools are starting to use it to provide online lessons to their students, far more than Meet
- starfallg 7y ago
  The go to software is actually Zoom. It does webinars and has a host of features specifically tailored for this market. Universities are by-and-large, not Microsoft shops. Teams is picking up from Lync/Skype-for-Business in many Microsoft shops.
  - jmiskovic 7y ago
    Do you have any data? Are you from Italy or speaking from your bubble? I couldn't find any data about Italy. From personal experience in neighbor country Croatia, all universities are Microsoft shops and nobody even knows what Zoom is.
    - itschap 7y ago
      I'm from Italy and I can speak for my University (Verona). All of my teachers are using Zoom either to do lessons or to talk to students privately. I'm kinda surprised since they're paying for Office365.
    - hyhyhyhy 7y ago
      From my personal experience in Croatia, I never used a Microsoft product during my studies. Moreover, using Linux was mandatory for some courses.
  - Kipters 7y ago
    My comment was specific to Italy :) I know people in at least two universities that are using Teams and Stream for online lessons (many universities in Italy use Office 365)
  - chefkoch 7y ago
    At least in Germany all universities allow you to use most Microsoft stuff for free.
solstice 7y ago
I hope that this Corona virus epidemic is going to be the thing that finally pushes broadband expansion to the countryside in Germany...
- animalnewbie 7y ago
  Starlink I think is built specifically for that so you have a reason to be hopeful
- chefkoch 7y ago
  As this is nothing you can change by pushing a button in your billing system i wouldn't hold my breath. But how much bandwith does in really need for remote work as a office worker? RDP should work ok over anything better than dial up.
  - solstice 7y ago
    I was thinking more about schools switching over to remote education like they currently do in China. I guess that this sort of app and video conferencing system is currently infeasible in the more rural parts of Germany due to lack of bandwidth.
    - moooo99 7y ago
      Its not only the lack of good infrastructure. The schools don't have the necessary skills to maintain these kind of systems and often don't have enough money to outsource
      - ryanmercer 7y ago
        It'll likely never happen in the United States because of what you mention and the fact that NSLP (National School Lunch Program) and the SFSP (Summer Food Service Program) feed a LOT of children. My fiance is a high school teacher and they began preparing online lessons yesterday in the event they need to shut down for 2 weeks but they're also scrambling to figure out how to feed the kids the 2 meals a day a lot of them get and how some of the students are going to do their laundry. A good portion of the students do their laundry at school in coin-operated washers and dryers in the home economics room. In her first class of 30 something students, all but 2 or 3 get fed 2 meals a day by the school via NSLP. Yesterday she was also telling me the school nurse is concerned as many of the students come to her for basic over the counter medicines and feminine products. She's also a track coach and it was cool and wet yesterday, most of the students shwoed up without the provided hoodie/pants and said they didn't want to get them sweaty because then they couldn't wear them to school (implying they had no means to launder them except for at school) so her and the other coaches rounded up all of the stuff that had been left by previous years and she took it all home to wash and mend ripped pockets to bring back for those students. When kids are depending on the school for their meals and basic medical/hygiene needs... I can't see online classes becoming a thing for many of the schools in the country.
chenlianmt 7y ago
This is awesome for students from poorer districts who have no access to the internet when COVID-19 keeps them from school. A fairly good move for education equality. Besides, it would be better if free (cheap) tablets are also offered.

153 points by Lagogarda 7y ago

I'm fairly concerned about SARS-CoV-2, and think it's going to be absolutely awful - but although it's already terrible in Italy I don't think it's yet terrible enough that I believe this is a genuine outpouring of moral solidarity. Maybe that doesn't matter, but my gut reaction is pretty far from 'oh that's jolly good of them'.

ganoushoreilly 7y ago
I got an email from Meraki today capitalizing on the virus, encouraging me to run a few demos of the teleworker units. The whole thing was about saving my employees from exposure. It's absolutely gross.
- mjburgess 7y ago
  I don't quite get why it's gross. Presumably you'd want to find wfm/etc. solutions ?
  - enumjorge 7y ago
    If the company came across as trying to cash in on an international crisis, I can see why that would be off putting.
  - urda 7y ago
    Because A company capitalizing on a crisis for personal gain is disgusting. Simple stuff.
rwmurrayVT 7y ago
I saw a thread on r/sales asking how the virus was impacting people's quarters. There were several sales people reporting that their SaaS leads were coming in so quickly they were almost overwhelmed.

Kipters 7y ago

As far as I can see, Teams is going to gain A TON of users in the coming weeks, most universities and schools are starting to use it to provide online lessons to their students, far more than Meet

starfallg 7y ago
The go to software is actually Zoom. It does webinars and has a host of features specifically tailored for this market. Universities are by-and-large, not Microsoft shops. Teams is picking up from Lync/Skype-for-Business in many Microsoft shops.
- jmiskovic 7y ago
  Do you have any data? Are you from Italy or speaking from your bubble? I couldn't find any data about Italy. From personal experience in neighbor country Croatia, all universities are Microsoft shops and nobody even knows what Zoom is.
  - itschap 7y ago
    I'm from Italy and I can speak for my University (Verona). All of my teachers are using Zoom either to do lessons or to talk to students privately. I'm kinda surprised since they're paying for Office365.
  - hyhyhyhy 7y ago
    From my personal experience in Croatia, I never used a Microsoft product during my studies. Moreover, using Linux was mandatory for some courses.
- Kipters 7y ago
  My comment was specific to Italy :) I know people in at least two universities that are using Teams and Stream for online lessons (many universities in Italy use Office 365)
- chefkoch 7y ago
  At least in Germany all universities allow you to use most Microsoft stuff for free.

solstice 7y ago

I hope that this Corona virus epidemic is going to be the thing that finally pushes broadband expansion to the countryside in Germany...

animalnewbie 7y ago
Starlink I think is built specifically for that so you have a reason to be hopeful
chefkoch 7y ago
As this is nothing you can change by pushing a button in your billing system i wouldn't hold my breath. But how much bandwith does in really need for remote work as a office worker? RDP should work ok over anything better than dial up.
- solstice 7y ago
  I was thinking more about schools switching over to remote education like they currently do in China. I guess that this sort of app and video conferencing system is currently infeasible in the more rural parts of Germany due to lack of bandwidth.
  - moooo99 7y ago
    Its not only the lack of good infrastructure. The schools don't have the necessary skills to maintain these kind of systems and often don't have enough money to outsource
    - ryanmercer 7y ago
      It'll likely never happen in the United States because of what you mention and the fact that NSLP (National School Lunch Program) and the SFSP (Summer Food Service Program) feed a LOT of children. My fiance is a high school teacher and they began preparing online lessons yesterday in the event they need to shut down for 2 weeks but they're also scrambling to figure out how to feed the kids the 2 meals a day a lot of them get and how some of the students are going to do their laundry. A good portion of the students do their laundry at school in coin-operated washers and dryers in the home economics room. In her first class of 30 something students, all but 2 or 3 get fed 2 meals a day by the school via NSLP. Yesterday she was also telling me the school nurse is concerned as many of the students come to her for basic over the counter medicines and feminine products. She's also a track coach and it was cool and wet yesterday, most of the students shwoed up without the provided hoodie/pants and said they didn't want to get them sweaty because then they couldn't wear them to school (implying they had no means to launder them except for at school) so her and the other coaches rounded up all of the stuff that had been left by previous years and she took it all home to wash and mend ripped pockets to bring back for those students. When kids are depending on the school for their meals and basic medical/hygiene needs... I can't see online classes becoming a thing for many of the schools in the country.

chenlianmt 7y ago

This is awesome for students from poorer districts who have no access to the internet when COVID-19 keeps them from school. A fairly good move for education equality. Besides, it would be better if free (cheap) tablets are also offered.