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List:       freedos-dev
Subject:    [fd-dev] Free DOS for point of sale terminals - who knows more?
From:       Eric Auer <eric () CoLi ! Uni-SB ! DE>
Date:       2003-04-29 12:36:16
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Hi, I told Aitor that many point of sale terminals in smaller
shops are still DOS based (counting products and prices, maybe
networked with some database...). Do you think FreeDOS is good
enough by now to form an alternative? As we know, it is very
hard to obtain fresh MS DOS licenses, so... maybe we should
promote our alternative a bit.
However, Aitor thinks that we should wait for FreeDOS 1.0 first.
Opinions?

PS: Other popular systems for point of sale stuff:
- integrated ca*sh boxes, no user-serviceable software
- Linux
- not much WinCE. Some Win3, though.
- ??? (you're telling me)

German article on the topic:

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/anw-28.03.03-002/

67% MS systems (the forum connected to the article comments that this would
likely mean DOS, not Windows: I agree in that I hardly ever see visible
Windows in shops, but do see text oriented DOS style user interfaces sometimes)
Rest: Many IBM 4690 systems, small amount of Linux, but rapidly growing.
The forum thinks that 4690 means "terminals for AS/400 systems".
Systems with custom built OS are also a popular interpretation of 4690 in the
forum. Maybe somebody here REALLY knows what it means?
Linux URL: www.pos-ware.de (comm*ercial)
Bonus Forum info: "4690 is FlexOS based, fast, multiuser, redundant servers
possible, does not take many resources - 4680 on 286 handled 40 terminals"

Of course, change from DOS to Windows is also coming up. More blue on the
screens there X-).

Off Topic: For dentists / doctors, Linux based:
http://www.freemed.org/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/odontolinux/
(many other doctors systems are Visual Basic stuff, brrrr...)
Also http://www.data-vital.de/

Linux for point of sale terminals: German article:
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/cgl-07.08.01-001/
Other example: Ikea uses Linux servers and serial terminals.
Ironically, they use WinCE for newer terminals and run telnet on
it. WinCE is 20-30 USD...
Somebody in the forum thinks that if DOS, more DR than MS DOS is used.
The IBM pos-terminals might also mean OS/2.
Or of course PC DOS.

However, take the article with care:
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/foren/go.shtml?read=1&msg_id=3204684&forum_id=40201
(sorry, German again...)



To conclude, while those informations are kind of interesting,
we would need to know MORE DETAILS first. Anybody on fd-dev who
knows more details / better statistics?

Eric.

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