[AccessD] Wireless Scanner

On Tuesday 26 June 2007 21:25, jwcolby wrote:
> It does seem a strange word to use for this.  One meaning of wedge is to
> "forcefully insert between" as in "I wedged this piece of wood in the
> crack".  Since a "wedge" scanner is inserted between the keyboard and the
> computer, you could say that you "wedged it in between".  Still makes no
> sense to me.
>
>
> John W. Colby
>
<LARGE SNIP>

I can only agree with the emotion. It has never made any sense to me either, 
but what it is, is a device that shares the same interupts as the keyboard 
i.e. it sends the same scancodes across the same bus from the same port as 
the keyboard, which the bios interprets as [quote] ASCII scancodes [unquote] 
as if they where typed.  So if you type "J W Colby" on the keyboard and the 
device [b]transmitting through the "wedge"[/b] has scanned and is transmiting  
a "J W Colby" set of ASCII's then the BIOS interprets this as a set of 
keystrokes - hence someone's (correct) statement that whatever the field has 
the focus that's what will receive the "data".

It's a piss-poor mechanism.  Conceived out of commercial necessity through 
time to market expediency.  Nuff said.

Now, to get back to the OP question.  
1) Boss Hogg says "I want one of these new-dang-fangled wireless radio 
eenveentoory counter doodads, now you just get down here boy and make shure 
it happens". 
2) Daisy smiles at camera 2
3) OP thinks, "WTF?" ...
4) ...


SERIOUS ANSWER!
Most hand held inventory scanners today work in a fundamentally "disconnected" 
mode. The local codes are downloaded to the PDT (Portable Data Terminal) 
before the operator goes and does the inventory check. (This is primarily 
because the retailer/warehouse may now be expecting to see new types of stock 
that the PDT didn't know about last time ( say that new line of Nova Scotian 
copper nails!!! ).  So, Mar(t)y loads the current scan codes into the PDT.  
[AHA! Need function "Load local SKU scan codes into PDT" Business rules? 
Authorisation Rules? Connection mechanism? (OK = "wireless" * ) ... ... ... ]
Then Mar(t)y goes out into the warehouse and starts to scan each and every one 
of the <Nova Scotian> nails s/he can find.


Now it seems to me that there is something fundamentally wrong with the entire 
CSI episode that is going on here.

What is the business goal?
a) Find out how many copper nails are there?
b) Find out how many copper nails Mar(t)y can find?
c) Find out many things (including nails, racks, toilet doors, lunch boxes, 
supervisors, lift wells, pencils and P***** have a "copper nail" bar code on 
them?
d) Find out how many times Mar(t)y can scan the same nail while "Slim" 
and "Shifty" are loading as many of their mate's pickups with "pre-ingot" 
pure copper as they can?


Now, what's the problem? (Rocky, what's the objective?) Boss Hogg want's one 
of these new fandangled wireless warehouse doodads that's gonna solve all his 
eenveentory problems. Har Har Har! No they aren't. 

I for one, and judging by the fotographs I've seen of a lot of youse guys and 
gals, aint got much of a long stand chance before we all get together for 
the "First Great Rock Candy Mountain Access Experts Rememberance Concert" 
(I've no fear, no sirey, I'm gonna code till I'm a hundred and three).

...bugger, I've drifted agin. ...what would you young hussy's know anyhoo.  
Now, where was I ...  zzz ... grrph AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPP

Ah yes, I know what I was going to say, but I've got to go and have a little 
lie down now for a while (it's 1:45am here in Sydney) ...

(end rave) let me know if you want chapter 2....


bruce