Normally, you go on holiday to escape work. And for the last 10 days have mostly already been done, relax on the beach in Hawaii. Except in rare Twitter timeline travel and inbox, I was blissfully ignorant of the events of the world a better technology.
It was therefore a pleasant surprise to find today’s high-tech history major in heaven who reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the Windows platform.
This morning, my wife and I were walking in the historic Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach and stopped at a store called Hula-La. While Judy was oohing and shouts style bathing suit (yes, that link is safe for work, but almost), I looked at the small all-in-one PC in the same tiny area. “It’s a touchscreen? I asked the store owner. The truth was, and in a rare step of Geekiness and style, the owner of the tanker Erika, Ireland has made me an enthusiastic and spontaneous abstract system which is used to run the shop.
The system is a small touchscreen Asus Eee Top, an Atom N270 processor and Windows XP Home Edition. Ireland has said that was collected after seeing him run in a local store and then verify its reliability and performance on-line via the feedback.
The lower part of the package is Intuit QuickBooks Cash Register Plus, part of a package of Costco, which included a touch-enabled software, a credit card reader, cash drawer, receipt printer. The entire system, including PC hardware? About a queue.
Touch screen point of sale systems are hardly new, but historically they have been sold through expensive proprietary solutions, generally for vertical markets such as restaurants and hotels, and usually cost several times the cost of the system I live here. These systems are typically dedicated bulky, too, built like a traditional cash register. To see it in perfect condition, with low cost, energy efficiency, materials Slender eye-opener. The reason for this low price, nice touch, material is allowed, because Microsoft has been engaged for several years to support the input contact on the ubiquitous Windows platform. (And yes, this system should work well on Windows 7.)
The only weakness that the experience of this small company has argued that it was an unfortunate and inevitable product of the ecosystem Windows. Hardware and software for a half-dozen different companies, the ability to point the finger is always there if something goes wrong.
Indeed, the initial experience of Ireland, which was far from perfect, “he said. Even if the installation is simple, the reader of credit card refused to work properly. Guess changing the disc three times without success, and has accused the PC hardware. ASUS has pointed the finger back to Intuit. Ireland, a lawyer turned entrepreneur and a confessed “Troubleshooting,” eventually became frustrated with headquarters in India, support personnel and Intuit monitored by the manufacturer of the card reader, MagTek. A call to the company based online support quickly determined that the device is transmitting data faster than the PC can process editing a configuration file slowed the rate of data in one that worked correctly. After this initial error, the correct functioning of the system.
Ironically, in a corner of the Hula-has seen a large television screen showing swimwear company online in a web browser. That television is connected to a Mac mini. He looked very good, but could not handle the task of directing the affairs of the company. Sometimes the metaphors, just write themselves.
If you have the opportunity to stay in Royal Hawaiian, I fully recommend. And even if you’re passing, do not forget to Hula-la and tell them I sent you.
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