M. N. Khan wrote:
>
> Hello all.
> Has anyone worked with java and cash registers / barcode scanners etc..?
> I need to know which ones are compatible with java and linux, so I can buy the right
>ones.
> I will be writing a java program on linux for a Retail clothes company who want a
>complet stock and sales software.
> Any ideas? Do I need any special drivers? Are there any modules in java that I
>need?
> Any other suggestions?
> Thanx
Well your best bet for cash registers is either a regular PC
or at least a PC dressed up like a till. For barcode scanners
there are generally two kinds.
The first attaches to the keyboard line so that the data looks
to the system like the user typed it. These are pretty easy
to get working and don't require any special drivers. The only
problem is that most scanners send a lot of extra data along
with the barcode that you need to handle or turn off in the
scanner (stuff like a leading A for UPC-A, E for UPC-E, ...).
The second type attaches to the serial port so you will need
software to read from the serial port as well as configure its
baud rate and such. A package to do this is available on the
Linux Java site but I'm not sure how complete it is. It is
based on a new Java standard package API for controlling serial
and parallel ports so the code may even be fairly portable to
other operating systems.
There is also a JavaPOS standards organization that is working
with the big cash register vendors on a standard for using
Java on a cash register but I haven't checked their site in a
long while to see whats up. You can find them from the main
Sun java site.
--
Brad Pepers
Linux Canada Inc. Home of Linux products in Canada!
http://www.linuxcanada.com Proud supporter of Cyclades, Red
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Hat, and Caldera.
