Working From Home - Impacts of Coronavirus

[nctnico]

People will want to get back to this routine as soon as possible, and the longer they aren't allowed to do that the more pissed of people are going to be. They don't want a "new normal" and will not accept it in the long term, you'll see.

Of course. And as I said already, how could they not? If this "new normal" that some are talking about is just switching to a society where you're being constantly told what to do and when you can do it, it looks a lot like home detention. Already said that, but that's currently what we are subjected to. Home detention. Even people under real home detention have more freedom than we currently do. Who would want to live like this forever? Seriously? It's mind-boggling to me that some people seem to see it as OK or even desirable. Please help me understand.

Well, you are in France where they want everyone to stay at home. Such a situation cannot continue. But there are alternatives which are just as effective and don't require people to stay inside. Over here everything is OK for as long as you keep a distance and don't gather in groups (3 is a crowd). This effectively means over here we can still do most of the things we always did.

Confinement is not just in France, FYI. Similar situation in many countries currently. But sure this can't be lasting and will have to end (although it may very well be decided again in the future, much more frequently than it ever did.)

But that's not just what I'm talking about. I was talking about everything people put behind the term "new normal", and everything that we can suppose might be.

"everything is OK for as long as you keep a distance and don't gather in groups (3 is a crowd)."
Do you call that normal? Seriously? Do you want to live in a world in which you can't be more than 3? In which you can't get close to anyone, meaning everyone is now a potential threat to anyone else? In which you may have to ask anyone to show you a certificate before getting closer than 1 or 2 m? Seriously?

I'm sure some of you have not thought this through really well, or are just reasoning as though ALL of this was temporary (which we can all hope for really), but here we were talking about what could be *permanent* after that.

You have to seperate 2 things here:
1) Working from home: It is likely a lot of people will like this and won't return to going to the office everyday.

2) Keeping distance is not going to be a new normal. That is temporary. And yes some countries are more strict than others. Last week the weather was nice so I met with one of my swim-friends at a beach. Ofcourse we kept a 2m distance but we could still have a normal conversation. OTOH my wife and I don't go shopping together (kinda take turns) and I'm staying away from my parents and older family members just to be sure.

Edit: one addition to distancing: I'm sure this can be done in shops and restaurants too with some extra care like cleaning the chairs, tables and menus after every visitor. Tables and chairs could be covered with a disposable sleeve too. Not ideal but not impossible to do.

[0db]

How to use a CAD at home if the server and the license cannot move from the working place?
I have already tried RDP through a VPN: it's practically not usable. I guess I am doomed.

[not1xor1]

Take a look at how some other countries like Switzerland have dealt with it. Placing everyone under house arrest is unnecessary, it's not the ONLY way. For countries that have gone that way, now the question is how do you roll it back.

I'm not exactly sure that Switzerland is a shining example.  For a tiny country with a tiny population (8.6M) they still have 26,000 cases.  I'm pretty sure if you do the math, you'll find the infection rate per 1000 people is higher in Switzerland than it is in the USA (which isn't exactly a example of how to do things).

Countries that have adopted early, wide-spread stay at home orders have done much better.

Nonsense. .....

OK, you don't like testing numbers, how about fatalities ?
Switzerland is still not a shining example; with infection and death rates higher than the USA.   Saying it's nonsense is just stupid

Deaths:
Switzerland 1,162, population 8.6M = 135/M
USA 23,709, population 328M = 72/M

Yes, nonsense.
You are comparing time depending phenomena at different points on the time axis.
For instance till few days ago newspapers here in Italy were still writing about the rough fatality rate in Germany (a month ago at 0.38%) as a miracle while that rate had been quickly increasing and now is close to 2.7% (and still growing day after day).

This is a dynamic phenomenon and, besides that, most data are affected by various kind of errors and in some cases are even likely to be just fabricated. Even total number of tests vs. population doesn't take into account if a single person is tested multiple times (e.g. health care staff which should be tested routinely).

You'll be able to compare the performance of various countries only when this will be over and most faulty data will be corrected in some way.

[bd139]

How to use a CAD at home if the server and the license cannot move from the working place?
I have already tried RDP through a VPN: it's practically not usable. I guess I am doomed.

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

[0db]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

[Sredni]

And the exact causes of deaths  is also highly questionable. Can we please stop talking about the stats on this thread, it's about the impact on our work and business and personal lives etc.

Well, you closed the general thread about Covid-19.

You also closed the thread about what was good about Covid-19. It almost seems you are afraid of discussion about certain topics (one of my posts there even got deleted because of a joke, I mean... you are in Australia, how close is it to China?
What's the point of having a General Chat if you make topics taboo?

[bd139]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

Well he's an idiot then. You can show him this comment as well if you want.

[NiHaoMike]

How to use a CAD at home if the server and the license cannot move from the working place?
I have already tried RDP through a VPN: it's practically not usable. I guess I am doom
...
I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

Is it a Dell server with iDRAC by any chance? That would probably help if the problem is heavy graphics (hardware encoding handles that with ease), not so much if the problem is network latency.

[mansaxel]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

Apparently, your boss likes their computers more than they like their employees doing meaningful work.

I only had to unpack my laptop as I was called by my boss and told to stay home, so for me it was very easy. I also pioneered the concept of "managing complex broadcast networks from home" last winter, so it was more like slipping into same old shoes again. Not all staff, though, did have a portable computer, so the support dept. has been kept busy provisioning computers to people, but everyone that can WFH does that now. Since we're a TV company, some of us need to be in the studio, and since we've come up with a number of new shows (and fat rerun programs) for all those people stranded at home we have work cut out for us.

[langwadt]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

have you tried talking to the supplier of the software? I'm sure most of them a willing to score some cheap points by being helpful with a temporary license or similar

[coppice]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

Well he's an idiot then. You can show him this comment as well if you want.

He's not necessarily an idiot. If the CAD in question in something like silicon design, companies have huge problems trying to maintain security with their databases. There is a thriving market for stolen silicon IP.

[EEVblog]

We have another extra two weeks off school it seems:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/berejiklian-confirms-date-nsw-students-will-return-to-school-classrooms-20200416-p54ka4.html
Doesn't mean you can't send your kids at the normal start time, they will take them, but most schools will follow the 'gumnit guidelines.

[Mr.B]

Looks like we will be in the same boat here.
If the government lift restrictions next week from the current “Level 4” to “Level 3” they still want kids to be home schooled if possible.
Parents who have to go to work will be able to send their kids to school.
We will find out on Monday if the restriction level is to change on the proposed date of midnight next Wednesday.

[Bud]

Oh no,  Banksy working from home 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8223057/Banksy-reveals-latest-rat-infested-masterpiece.html

[2N3055]

Do what we did and courier the workstations to our staff. Then VPN in for the license only.

what do you mean with "courier the workstations to our staff". I cannot physically move the computer out of the working place. My boss said something like "no way, the computer must stay here", and I cannot move the license over the internet because it's "node-locked" rather than floating-license and offered by a server that can be reached via a VPN link from home.

Well he's an idiot then. You can show him this comment as well if you want.

He's not necessarily an idiot. If the CAD in question in something like silicon design, companies have huge problems trying to maintain security with their databases. There is a thriving market for stolen silicon IP.

There are products that will basically be remote monitor and keyboard, in a sandbox. You still work on your work computer, remote terminal on steroids..
You can only take a photo of a screen with camera, which you can anyways.
Those that need better security than that,  need to be on site....

[paulca]

Those that need better security than that,  need to be on site....

Reminds me of the rooms on the software engineering floors in banks.  The rooms you must be in with the door locked to access certain data.  Though I think it's more of an SEC rule thing.

[2N3055]

Those that need better security than that,  need to be on site....

Reminds me of the rooms on the software engineering floors in banks.  The rooms you must be in with the door locked to access certain data.  Though I think it's more of an SEC rule thing.

Could be just general banking security regulations. Most people don't know how good IT security in banks is.. In last 10 years it got pretty advanced...

[OwO]

Could be just general banking security regulations. Most people don't know how good IT security in banks is.. In last 10 years it got pretty advanced...

[bd139]

I was about to post that. They're about 5 years behind everyone else on everything.

[0db]

Is it a Dell server with iDRAC by any chance? That would probably help if the problem is heavy graphics (hardware encoding handles that with ease), not so much if the problem is network latency.

yes, the GPU does the most of the work; however when the computer is remotely used via RDP then the latency between when I move the mouse and when I see the reaction is so long that my productivity goes below zero.

I am trying to convince my boss to let me bring the workstation home because Autodesk is not helping with any "temporary" floating-license.

Otherwise, I will have to physically go to work.

[2N3055]

I was about to post that. They're about 5 years behind everyone else on everything.

Not here.. We have pretty stringent laws in Croatia, enforcing security and business continuity at level that are pretty advanced.

[bd139]

I was about to post that. They're about 5 years behind everyone else on everything.

Not here.. We have pretty stringent laws in Croatia, enforcing security and business continuity at level that are pretty advanced.

We have the same here. Most of it is easy to explain away with paperwork

[langwadt]

I am trying to convince my boss to let me bring the workstation home because Autodesk is not helping with any "temporary" floating-license.

are you sure? https://adsknews.autodesk.com/views/covid-19

[NiHaoMike]

yes, the GPU does the most of the work; however when the computer is remotely used via RDP then the latency between when I move the mouse and when I see the reaction is so long that my productivity goes below zero.

Dell iDRAC, which is hardware encoded, does not use RDP, instead it uses its own protocol. Try running a ping in the background while you try the remote desktop to see if it's a network problem (which using hardware encoding won't help) or if it's software encoding not able to keep up with heavy graphics.

[paulca]

So this is today's office...