POS software explained

By: Steve Arbor Jones

In this article you will find information regarding the pos software, how it works and how to buy the right one.

To have a better understanding of POS software, one must first get familiar with the concept of POS. POS stands for point-of-sale or point-of-service, which can mean anything from a retail shop, checkout counter, basically any location at which a transaction occurs. Considering all that, it's not hard to see why pos terminals can be found in restaurants, hotels, bars, shops, stores, malls. To be completely accurate, we can say that POS refers to the hardware and software which cashiers use for checkouts.

Every POS system can be divided in two - hardware and software. Since this article is an introduction to pos software, we will examine its history. Some of the early electronic cash registers had some software loaded on them, giving them extra functions, although fairly limited if compared to present day models. Nevertheless, it was this programmability that push things forward, as it enabled the developers to be more creative and made way for a lot of innovations such as real time labor and food cost reports.

A protocol is a predefined set of rules which computers follow when engaged in communication with one another. POS terminals communicate with other devices (peripherals) using a given protocol, so we can say that the protocol is the language that computers speak. Every pos software comes with a support of a certain protocol, so that it can succesfully interact with peripheral devices, such as POS printer, a bar-code scanner, and a credit/debit card reader. Some of the popular POS communication command protocols are EPSON Esc/POS, ADM 787/788, DSP-800, CD 5220.

In an attempt to guarantee the compatibility between the different devices, pos software developers have to meet certain standards. Microsoft, NCR, Epson, and Fujitsu-ICL developed the first pos software standard, called OPOS. People know it as "OLE for POS", because it's based on Microsoft's COM technology, which makes OPOS language independent. The next industry standards was made by SUN, IBM and NCR, under the name JavaPOS. JavaPOS is programmed on JAVA, so it's platform independent.

Of course, the article wouldn't be complete if we don't mention some of the benefits of pos software. The main one is the increase of your profits. Another major benefit is the reduction of inventory costs. POS software will also improve customer service. Efficiency will also be maximized with as minimum as 20%, becuase it automates repetitive tasks.

Considering the amount of places where you can find pos terminals nowaways, it comes as no surprise to know that there is plenty of competition in the pos software industry. The final buying decision is never easy, as there are plenty of models to choose from, but nevertheless, there are several factors which should determine what you buy. First you should take into account the turnover of your business. The second factor is the type of industry in which you operate. Have in mind that it's a good idea to make a research on as many models as you can and check with the retailers that are already using a given model.

The majority of POS software solutions are designed to operate on Windows. Linux and MAC machines are probably more reliable, but you will get a much more limited amount of choices in terms of software available for such UNIX based operating systems. When configured properly, Windows systems can work for months and even years without any intervention. POS software can support Windows 95, 2000, or XP, although some will only work on XP.

At this website - POS Terminals, you can find a lot of articles on POS software, Hardward and Methodologies. Author - Steve Arbor Jones.
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