Computers
Computers that run a POS system will need to have some basic requirements, depending on the software selected. Once again we can only speak from a Utillity perspective. Utillity is Windows (you might need Linux, Unix, or even DOS).
Apart from the operating system you should also consider
CPU - while POS is not a very intensive operation (and therefore not very demanding on processor power) you might want to think of the number of till points or other uses for the computer.
RAM or Memory - Once again this is not a show-stopper, but as a general rule the more the memory, the faster your searches will be.
Disk size generally is not an issue. Some POS solutions are disk intensive and some are not. Utillity uses the open source Firebird database which is super-efficient and requires very little from the computer. Disk speed is probably more import than space as the general size of harddrives these days far exceed the requirements for a simple POS system.
Network card/hub etc. If you are using multiple computers then you will need a network. A slow network can really be a bottle neck in a busy store. Networks, like so many other things in life, are only as strong as their weakest link. If you have one component in your network that is slower than the others, then that is the speed of your network. Ensure that you network cards, your hub or router and your cabling are all of the same standard or speed. If you are getting new computers then this generally will be the case. If however, you are going to bring "an old computer from home" then this is worth checking out.
I/O Ports are ports into which you will plug other accessories such as printers, cash drawers, pole displays etc. Ensure that the accessories you are going to connect will have the appropriate ports on the computer (s) onto which they will be connected. So often I have seen people order a new computer (wich does not come with a standard printer port anymore) and a parallel tillslip printer only to find they can plug the printer into the computer.
I hope that when you choose your POS application you choose Utillity, but if you are not in the clothing or footwear sectors you may well find another package better suited to your market. Now that's honesty!
Return to the library.
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