[seul-edu] Re: Cafeteria management software

[Doug Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

Here's what I was thinking of.  If the backend of the system is an
SQL database run on MySQL or something similar, the aforementioned
PHP web interfaces should work OK.  However, a PC with a browser/web
interface may not be the best thing for a cashier on a serving
line--too many mouseclicks, submits, etc. per transaction.  I'd
think it would be better with a register with separate buttons for
each item and a quick way (barcode, magstrip scan, etc.) to get
student info into the system.  Luckily, most cash registers these
days can be seen by Linux/Unix systems as serial terminals, either
through a direct serial connection or over a network connection.
They just require a proper termcap or terminfo entry.

We might be able to setup the accounts for these registers using
SQSH <http://www.voicenet.com/~gray/sqsh.html> as their shells.  We
should then be able to define the various buttons on the registers
to send specific SQSH commands that would create the appropriate
transactions.  This would be the major effort required for this
software, to my thinking.  The reporting could be done with any
standard SQL report generator (I'm not an SQL expert, so I'll leave
finding those to more knowledgeable people).

--
Doug Loss                 God is a comedian playing
Data Network Coordinator  to an audience too afraid
Bloomsburg University     to laugh.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Voltaire