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Linux on a Used Cash Register: Reloaded

Posted by michael on from the aybabtu dept.

plimsoll writes "Hot on the heels of the original cash register running Linux, dumpster-diver Aaron Benoy has implemented his own GNU/Linux POS project with a twist: Ruins in ASCII, a late IBM 4694 removed from its case and reloaded with Linux to become a self-described 'video sculpture' showcasing 'an infinite loop of 180 distinct 7-second long video clips of various abandoned, ruined or otherwise vacant buildings and infrastructure' on its 9-inch paper white phosphor terminal display. Southern geeks can see it unveiled tonight at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival."

9 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting Art by techsoldaten · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I know nerds (I use the term with reverence) don't always think that much of art, but something to remember is that our original conception of 'art' was a purely useful thing.

    There was a time Westerners saw art really as a Machia, something you made and / or engaged in. Science and art were really the same endeavor for people like the Greeks. No division in our mental lives.

    For some reason, just the description of this project makes me happy.

    M

  2. Not that cool? by KuNgFo0 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From the hardware specs:
    Hardware
    CPU Intel Celeron (Covington) 400.912 MHz
    RAM 96MB PC100
    Hard disk Maxtor 6.4GB ATA/66 5400 RPM
    Motherboard Soyo SY-6BE+ ATX
    Display adapter SiS 6326 4MB AGP
    Pole display Emax Universal 104 Parallel DB-25
    Monitor IBM 9" Monochrome 4694 Video Display
    PSU Generic 235W
    Isn't this a pretty typical computer? Actually, probably a faster computer than many of the geeks on slashdot have? It's plenty better than my 486 personal web server.
  3. geek question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why is the anode cap on the side of the 4694 CRT instead of the top? I suppose it could be anywhere in that plane, but this is the first I've seen this arrangement.

  4. The sad thing... (slightly OT) by cjsnell · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The sad thing about this article is that we still don't have a decent, non-specific, OSS point-of-sale package for *nix. I've seen cheezy GTK-based "cash register" apps but nothing that can compete (or even compare) to Windows-based products.

    This is unfortunate. My father's company runs FreeBSD and OpenBSD on all of its servers but I still have to support over 35 Windows 2000 desktops here at our stores because there is no *nix alternative. Retail is the perfect place for Linux and the BSDs. Retail people need simple, easy-to-use interfaces and they do not want to deal with the problems associated with administering Microsoft OSes (worms, spyware, etc). I would love nothing more than to replace every single Windows desktop in this company with a X11-capable thin client.

    Thoughts?

    1. Re:The sad thing... (slightly OT) by Slack3r78 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've run into this same problem myself. My father still runs his system on a DOS based POS solution simply because I've been completely unable to find a suitable OSS replacement.

      All I was looking for was a simple, NCurses based interface - a POS does not need X and the added overhead and boot time associated with it. I keep checking every few months, but there never seems to be anything worth the effort of migrating to. I've seriously considered picking up PostgreSQL myself to try to implement something as it seems like there's nothing coming out of the community right now.

    2. Re:The sad thing... (slightly OT) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Walk into a home depot and look at the app they use.

    3. Re:The sad thing... (slightly OT) by DogDude · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Retail people need simple, easy-to-use interfaces and they do not want to deal with the problems associated with administering Microsoft OSes (worms, spyware, etc).

      Our store would also run a Linux based POS system if there was a decent one available, although not because of any so called "problems associated with administering MS OSes)". A cash register is generally a single purpose machine running one or two apps, tops. Our W2K POS machines only rebott/get turned off when the power goes out. They're rock solid, but the software is expensive ($1200/workstation).

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
  5. Linux booths... by xeoron · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This reminds me when I went to Showcase Cinemas Lowell with some friends. After the movie we went to see we decided to use the photo-booth in the lobby. It was unplugged, so we decide to plug it back in. To our surprise we discovered the booth booting Red Hat Linux. We never got any pictures taken, because the machine would hang while it was loading the camera or the printer driver (can't remember which).

  6. Re:POS System by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Point Of Sale. Yeah, I think so because the acronym is POS.