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This article describes what POS software is designed for and how it works. To get a better idea of POS software, you should first be familiar with the definition of POS. POS means "point-of-sale" or "point-of-service", basically anything from a retail shop, checkout counter, practically any location at which transactions are made. considering this definition, it's easy to understand why pos terminals can be located in hotels, restaurants, malls, bars, stores. POS stands for the hardware and software which make up a given system. If you examine a given POS system, you will see that it's divided in two parts - hardware and software. Since we are discussing pos software in this article, let's start with a brief description of the history behind pos software. The early electronic cash registers had a special computer application, which provided some extra features, although they were quite limited compared to today's standards. But the main idea is that the ability to program a point of sale terminal allowed developers to be more creative and made way for a lot of new concepts, such as real time labor and food cost reports. Computers as well as pos terminals communicate with each other using some type of a protocol, a set of rules, according to which computers exchange information. You can consider the protocol as the language which computers speak. The pos software that is found in modern day terminals supports not one, but several different protocols to control the peripheral devices, such as POS printer, a bar-code scanner, and a credit/debit card reader. Examples of such protocols are UTC Enhanced, DPS-800, AEDEX, Ultimate. The developers of pos software must follow standards, in order to insure an absolute compatibility between the different devices. Microsoft, NCR, Epson, and Fujitsu-ICL made the first standard in the industry, called OPOS. The advantage of OPOS is that it's language independent, as it's based on COM technology, because of which sometimes people call it "OLE for POS." Another standard was created by SUN, IBM and NCR, known under the name JavaPOS. Because it's programmed on Java, JavaPOS is platform independent, it can run on Windows and Unix based pos terminals. 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. There are a lot of Point-of-Sale software systems available on the market, so choosing the right one is never easy. There are several factors that should influence your buying decision. The first one is the turnover of your business. Second one is of course the industry in which your business operates, whether it's antiques, appliances, auto dealerships. Remember that the best way to see if a pos software really works is to check with the retailers already using it. The larger percentage of POS software solutions are Windows based. Of course, Linux and MAC machines are probably more reliable, but the downside is that there aren't as many pos software solutions for them, which will limit your buying choices. If a Windows system is configured properly, it can operate without any problems for months and even years. POS software can support different Windows versions, including Windows 95, 2000, or XP, although some may only work on XP.
Article Source: http://www.new.citynewslive.com
Steve Arbor Jones runs a highly successful Restaurant POS Software website. There you will find a large amount of solid POS info. This and other unique content pos articles are available with free reprint rights.
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