Re: [mv] Using Interchange as a POS system.

["Eran Binyamin Zeitoun" <eran_zeitoun@karmail.com>]

******    message to minivend-users from "Eran Binyamin Zeitoun" <eran_zeitoun@karmail.com>     ******

As i am a guy from the POS area...., I would like to say few words.....

As for John Foster's message...:
> I am interested in using/adapting Interchange as a POS system for a
> small retail operation. I will need to configure it to accept inputs
> from a barcode scanner. Any suggestions on this.
This is the easy thing... a barcode scanner acts exactly as a keyboard...
whatever it scans it passes as you typed it with the keyboard...
the only thing might be special programmed in the scanner is that after
each scan insted of making a "Enter" key, it should make a "Tab" key...
this is also easy... i recomend MetroLogic Scanners...

As for John King's message:
>...From a pos program you need daily sales stats, tax stats, x totals, z
totals, reordering info, etc., etc.,
>most of which a cart can't supply.
Hmm... If you will base your cart with SQL as the database... you can do all
this report easy!... and more
important..., you can design your own reports..., all of those x/z and the
rest are just raw search in the
POS memory..., if you will comapre a shopping cart to a real POS like Casio
TK-1000 or somthing like
this.... the shoping cart with the right modifcations rocks!....
If you compare it to a PC POS the diffrence is quite big..., but also take
in considertion the price diffrent.

>On top of this, a pos system doesn't need the graphics. It needs speed
>from a very fast and reliable database running under its own steam, not
through an
>interpreter such as perl. Minivend or Interchange are server side programs,
that means they
>must run on a remote server, or on a server running on your machine. The
programs must have
>a server side database such as mySQL, SQL etc. to work. To my knowledge,
the Star Office
>database will not work on a server, so any data you have needs to be
transferred one way or
>another.
Who says we need the graphics?, well the other John can design a simple
interfarce..., In any case...
he will use a Minivend/Interchange or whatever the software name is now 8-).
., and some dumb
workstations..., he even can use 486 (if he can get any...) or simple 586 as
workstations, equiped
with fast ethernet...., running with Caledra DOS (If GNU is used... lets use
it to the end), with them
Dos Based Browser (name Spider)... and you can get a very low cost POS
system for any system...
I agree that the heart of the system is a fast server with SQL, and i would
go on another sql than mySql
so Stored Procedures function can be used to speed up the system response
time....

Think about putting 2 Servers on-line for fault tolreance..., every
considerd that if somthing happend to your
PLU memory in the POS how deep are you in trouble? I am worked with Casio as
main products... and one
of the reasons i quited... is Errors.... you get a MASS ERROR in the POS...
and you cannot do a thing about
it... its a Z80 thing.... at least here you have a mailing list with quite a
fast response...

Imagine you already have made all the modifcations needed for InterChange to
opreate as a POS system...
You have 2 stores.... 4 or even 8.... simple internet connection and the can
all work togther... with on-line
information... there no limits here....

I would consider this idea as very sirous.... the question... is that if
there is a market for such solution...
i am not talking about collecting money for the software or developing the
changes..., I mean that if
there are potential uses for that thing.


>It's an absolute piece of cake getting a database to print bar codes, but
it's a different
>story to have one read them.
I am giving free lessons to barcode readers how to work with PCs....
sirously John (king) its as easy as i dont know what.... mybe you dealed
with diffrent
equipment i am dealing... but all is very basic... the bar-code readers....,
The weight scales
system.... even the small serial displayes.....
You talked about clarion..., i think making what u did with interchange
should be a bit easier...
its only a question of atitude...

Eran.



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