The ‘Build developer’ conference by Microsoft is the latest technology event to be severely affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. The tech giant Microsoft which was planning on conducting the annual developer conference in Seattle from May 19-21, have shifted the event online and made it a ‘digital event.’
Microsoft stated, ‘the safety of our community is a top priority. In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, instead of an in-person event. We look forward to bringing together our ecosystem of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come’.
Health authorities from different countries as well as the US are already on high alert as the Coronavirus cases surpassed 100,000. Originating from Wuhan in China, the Coronavirus spread to 89 countries and affected almost every continent except the Antarctica continent in a month. Across the US, several states have made emergency declarations as WHO declared the Coronavirus situation as a ‘pandemic.’
Build developer conference is one of the most significant news events of 2020 by Microsoft, even though it is a developer-centric event. The software giant usually uses Build conference to preview the latest changes to Windows, Microsoft Office as well as other software and services. This year, Microsoft is planning on revealing more about its dual-screen plans for Android and Windows 10X at Build.
CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella welcomes developers at Build 2018
The coronavirus outbreak saw the cancellation of many high-end events across the world. The Microsoft’s Build conference cancellation follows Google’s move to cancel its I/O developer event along with the abolition of many other activities, sports leagues as well as gatherings from across the world. Earlier in the week, one of the leading gaming events- the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), was also cancelled due to the pandemic. The cancellation is crucial for improving public health and stopping the spread of the Coronavirus.
Around 70+ governments from around the world have taken preventive measures to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. Many of the countries banned entry for travellers coming in from the affected regions, as well as prohibited flights flying to certain countries. Social distancing measures to the extent as a system allows the best defence mechanism against the Coronavirus. The virus currently has no proven vaccine or treatment as a cure. As such, the cancellation of gatherings is the best option. This would prevent further spread of Coronavirus to other people, though not eliminate it. Microsoft has already asked its employees of Seattle and California to work from home until March 25.
However, how exactly every high-end tech company would transform and conduct its conference to a virtual medium remains to be seen. Developer conferences are an excellent place to mix and mingle with leading tech professionals from big platforms and companies and a place to listen to prolific keynotes and announcements.
Coronavirus
2020 saw the outbreak of the ‘Coronavirus’ or Sars- Cov-2. This virus, which originated in China spread rapidly around the globe affecting thousands of people. It belongs to the ‘Coronavirus’ family of viruses and is crown-shaped with spikes on the surface. The infection primarily affects bats, pigs, and other small mammals. However, it is seen that the virus rapidly mutated and affected humans, and after that, spread from one person to another. Coronavirus is one of the global infectious disease outbreaks the world has witnessed recently.