[TriLUG] barcode scanner recommendations

[Jeremy P]

On Wed, 15 May 2002, Andrew Perrin wrote:

> Can anyone recommend a *cheap* barcode scanner that will work under linux
> (debian)? I'll be using it to barcode outgoing surveys, then scan in their
> IDs when they're returned.

You can get barcode scanners that connect to the keyboard (daisy-chained),
so there are no drivers/etc required, so OS is not an issue. These are the
cheapest type and easiest to setup/configure (obviously).  The
disadvantage is you can't integrate the barcode input with the application
as well, since the application doesn't know the difference between keyed
numbers and scanned numbers.  Also, this type of barcode reader can't
handle certain types of check digits, but that should be okay for your
purpose.

I've seen the keyboard barcode scanners for as little as $99 new, but
there's one on eBay right now for $5, for example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2022324152
(dunno if that's keyboard type or if it uses a serial connection)

--Jeremy