Mac OS X Point of Sale

The quest began in February, 2004. A friend started a retail store and needed a Point of Sale solution. I had built a POS solution for a client many years ago with Mac OS 7. The world had changed.

• Security - A POS solution must be secure. This meant not using a Microsoft OS. Please don't argue with me about this. I used to work for a Microsoft Development Partner. I have worked for Microsoft on the Redmond campus. I know that Windows can be somewhat secure, but in practice is simply is not.
  • Physical security - I have two CD's in my drawer. With one or the other, I can root any Microsoft OS in about 2 minutes. So can many, many other people. :-(
  • The Windows platform simply cannot be trusted. We are processing credit card transactions online in real-time. This means the computer is connected to the internet. We need the ability to trust the OS and simply cannot when it is so easily compromised (whether inadvertently by valid users, or remotely by miscreants).

I am a systems engineer by trade. I design and build computing systems, typically for internet server applications. That means I'm intimate with Unix and Unix-like operating systems. I am already familiar with the BSD underpinnings of Mac OS X. It has been my desktop OS since its initial release. In four years of use, it has proven extremely reliable, secure, and a joy to administer.

With those things in mind, I set out to find a POS solution either on Mac OS X, FreeBSD, or Linux, with preferences in that order. Being an astute web citizen, I asked my consultant Google what was available. I found there is not much available for Unix but I did find Larry's excellent Macintosh Point of Sale page. However, what I did not find there, or anywhere else, was anything that resembled a product comparison.

So, I began collecting information and compiling my own product comparison spreadsheet. I searched the web, downloaded demo software, made phone calls, got CD's shipped to me, and learned an awful lot about Point of Sale. Hopefully what I have acquired will be of benefit to others.

Mac POS Product Comparison Chart

Mac POS Subjective Comparison

Mac POS Equipment & Vendors

There is also a discussion forum available.