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OS/2 still in use at big local supermarket chain.

Started by RobertM, 2010.07.24, 19:07:07

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RobertM

Hey all,

A while back I posted (probably on the old forum) that Giant (a supermarket chain in the mid-east US) had switched to OS/2 for their point of sale systems (back in 2000-2001).

Recently, I've found King Kullen (a very large local supermarket chain on Long Island) running an interesting operating system that I cannot yet place (never seen one reboot to look for an OS boot screen) that contains visual elements very reminiscent of OS/2 (such as the "3D" section containers/borders found around text/object groups in OS/2's settings notebooks and such, as well as similar looking controls).

While I am unsure about King Kullen, I do know, without a doubt, that Stop and Shop (formerly Grand Union) on Long Island is still using OS/2 for their Point of Sale systems. Not just that, but the one in West Islip, which is brand new (built this very year*), is among the ones running OS/2 (Warp v4) on the Point of Sale systems.

Just something interesting I saw and figured I would pass on.

Best,
Robert

* Was formerly a Grand Union - converted to a Stop and Shop a year or two ago. Ripped down to a hole in the ground. New building built and completed a few months back. OS/2 Point of Sale systems installed a few months ago. Thus, a supermarket will show as having existed there for a few decades, BUT the current one on that location isn't even a year old.


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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Blonde Guy

I don't know for absolute fact, but in the western USA, Safeway and all the chains they own, like Vons, were also using OS/2 at least pretty recently. Now they are using newer self checkout machines that are likely not OS/2-based.
Expert Consulting for OS/2 and eComStation

Saijin_Naib

Sounds like for the King Kullen ones that they were running an old version of Solaris.

RobertM

Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2010.07.25, 10:14:34
Sounds like for the King Kullen ones that they were running an old version of Solaris.

An old version, I doubt. They are PCs, and Solaris did not support x86 in older versions. Perhaps a newer one? I'll screenshot it sometime soon - but whatever it is, it seems to have Warp 3's and Warp 4's horrendous, default, non Innotek Font Engine/non FreeType/2 font rendering mechanism.


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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Saijin_Naib

True, but the new versions of solaris (OpenSolaris) are just Linux with Gnome or KDE GUI, so easily distinguishable.

However, stuff like Sparc 7 or so do look very similar to OS/2 especially at a quick glance.
http://www.prootwadl.org/visisite/desktops/sol7dsk.jpg

ModZilla

#5
Ya, I did a little work on this with Caroll Data, they used OS2 for point of sale and in 1998
switched over to Linux for resolving their hard wired network issues, now almost all
point of sale is on a WPA2 WiFi thing, it will read out the terminal name on your receipt,
Caroll Data does not do wifi but the Owner, John Whitfield, who builds the systems is not
going there [WiFi], due to the continuing problems with layers hacking as discussed
recently at Defcon...I think the whole WiFi thing is a dangerous road to go down, my Satellite system gets hacked everyday now with G4 Androids 29 miles downwind...my IP gets HiJacked and my local DNS
poisoned regularly...

...only wish I could convince Hughes to allow my OS/2 system online...that would take
care of most of my problems with the IDS...

MZ downline ::)
someday os2 will be ruled by the young and famous-at least in the open-source world!

RobertM

Quote from: ModZilla on 2010.08.10, 15:54:49
Ya, I did a little work on this with Caroll Data, they used OS2 for point of sale and in 1998...

Sadly, Trident (who made the OS/2 driver's for Caroll's/Elo's Infrared Touch Screen Assmeblies) has lost the driver. They want $350 per license to even consider "creating" (or "finding") the OS/2 version. Worse is, I used to have the driver (and paid for it - but not the $350 they are currently asking - I think it cost me $100), but lost it years ago. Now that I need it again (for an IBM AnyPlace Kiosk using the same Caroll/Elo serial infrared touchscreens) I cant find it, and cannot spend $350 for it. Nor can I charge each customer who we'd be installing these for $350 a piece for it. Nor can I simply refit the IR touchscreens with one of Elo's capacitive touchscreens (for which the drivers still exist and are readily available). I do have Elo's and MicroTouch's (now 3M's) serial touchscreen drivers, but both companies claim the drivers will not work with the ir touchscreens (only with the capacitive and resistive ones).

I've even seen POS units running OS/2 that have ir touchscreens that work... so I know the drivers are out there.

Ah well...

-R



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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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cyberspittle

I think HomeDepot registers are OS/2 touch screen systems. Also, Shell gas stations have OS/2 based touch screens in the station.