Re: accounting package for sys/36

Roy,

I've had your post in my inbox for almost a week hoping someone would
respond.

Well, you got me instead ;-)

Last weekend I wondered over to my local Walmart and sure enough they
have IBM registers.  Now is that one install or x000? Never mind.
Different thread.

Now back when the crust was just cooling I worked with IBM registers and
unless there has been an evolutionary shift, they are autonomous beings
that are not "controlled" by anything. (much less a 5363 <g>) They
gather, assimilate and forward information.  They also receive files.
Maybe by now they receive records/fields, but back then they received
files.  And if you wanted price lookup, your product line sure as heck
had to fit in about 4/8k of memory!

But to your case at point, a 5363 does not control cash registers, do
scanning, (different hardware) but it can keep inventory control, and in
the right combination with other equipment, in real time.

IBM used to have an application called RMAS for Retail Management, but
it died. (As it should)

For about $300 I've seen "cash drawers" that you can put on a PC to make
it become a register.  They never advertise the cost of the software to
actually "open" the drawer, or do simple addition but it's out there.

With a little bit of work that PC can talk to your 5363 and you can
manage the retail store.  AFAIK, if you are doing a clean start after
1/1/2000 and have no prior data, the 5363 will run for the next 100
years without a Y2K "bug". (as long as year 00 is not programmed in as
an omission of input ... if so, lie to the computer)  The public only
sees the register receipt, not the internal reports.

Now as far as S/36 applications go.  The software houses have kicked
that version to the curb, long ago, to avoid potential liability over
Y2K.  But you bring up an interesting (and unresponded to scenario) of a
clean start AFTER Y2K.  Run to the garage fellas ... there's a treasure
in tested and working S/36 code out there that just might find new life
in -new- S/36 installations!  Good God, $200 multi user servers that
don't break down ... what's the world coming to? =:-o

James W. Kilgore
President
Progressive Data Systems, Inc.
email@James-W-Kilgore.com



> Roy Schnauss wrote:
> 
> I have a system/36 that I am about to put out of service from a
> physicians office.  I am extremely pleased with the service that the
> machine has provided that being 15 years of flawless service at that
> location.  I would like to use the system after the first of the year
> in a retail setting.  Does anyone know of a good accounting package
> for a retail store setting that would control the cash registers, do
> scanning, keep inventory control as products leave the store and
> control the finances of the store that I could run on the 36.  I would
> like to set it up as a just in time inventory system like that used by
> walmart.  The machine I am using is a 5363 p04, with 200 megs of disk
> space and 1 meg of memory installed.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Roy Schnauss
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