I need an open-source POS solution for a client. They have a small cafeteria-type restaurant + gift shop. Currently they are using a craptastic closed-source commercial solution that offers no support despite requiring a huge service contract.
Lots of bonus points for something web-based, since the POS terminals they have are rather low-end.
FWIW, we've tried the following:
- Adempiere + Posterita
- OpenBravo POS
- L’âne (because the developer is local-ish)
- OFBiz (both the web POS and the java client)
Posterita comes the closest to being what we want (web-based, AJAX-y, etc.), but development has gone closed-source apparently. OpenBravo POS is probably the most functional, but it's difficult to figure out how to do much of anything with it. OFBiz has a nice, simple POS app, but it's horribly buggy (and rather slow too).
Given an infinite amount of free time, I'd probably hack on the Adempiere + Posterita (last open-source release) combo, but, well, time is not on my side here...
23 comments:
Presenting the results at SILUG might be cool. I know I never come but I'm going to try to start making it on the Saturday meetings.
I'd also be interested in what the best solution is, in case I have to use it in the future.
did you know lemon pos
site:
http://sourceforge.net/project/lemonpos/
blog:
http://lemonpos.wordpress.com/
http://ldn.linuxfoundation.org/blog-entry/another-area-linux-growth
Nathan: Yeah, we should do that Saturday.
I actually did not know about Lemon POS. (There must be a million of these things on Sourceforge.) Unfortunately, the hardware the client has doesn't play nice with recent Fedora, so we had to use CentOS, which means no KDE4, so that's out. :-(
And that linuxfoundation.org blog post is kind of bogus... TuxShop isn't even vaguely touchscreen-friendly, the BananaPOS link doesn't work (dead project last updated in 2001-2002), and the rest I've mentioned...
Lemon POS has a nice backend interface, but the frontend is unusuable on a 4:3 touchscreen for various reasons. (Reasons which could fairly trivially be fixed, I'm sure though, just not in the time I have available...)
For Lemon POS, actually, a kdelibs4 package (and possibly kdepimlibs and kdebase-runtime, INSTALL claims those are needed too though I don't see them used in the code) would be sufficient. Maybe even the old kdelibs4-4.1 package in F8 would work. (There were kdepimlibs and kdebase-runtime packages in F8 as well.) Sorry, but the current kdelibs specfiles in Fedora don't support building as kdelibs4 anymore, we had to drop that feature as the conditionals made the specfile much harder to maintain and nobody was testing that feature anymore after F8 went EOL.
That said, it seems Lemon POS doesn't meet your needs for other reasons anyway.
Have an Openbravo based version which has been amended/extended and localized to run on Partner Tech's PT-6200 All In One. Have called it uniCenta oPOS http://unicenta.net/unicenta_opos.aspx if you want to have a look.
Have optimized and can run touchscreen, BackOffice, Database (even running a webserver for a handheld order pad) on PT-6200 (it's spec' is not the highest but runs uniCenta oPOS really well).
BTW - this project started out to help coffee bar owners as was exhibiting at Cafe Culture trade show 2008/9 and had so many requests for a low-cost/no cost solution.
uniCenta oPOS is result.
You should know; It's also FREE
Jack
You can use Floreant POS. It has simpler user interface and comes with regular features and reports. Download it from
http://floreantpos.com
My 2 cents..
Hi. My company is in the same situation and would be interested to know what you decide on.
Floreant POS is the only active open source RESTAURANT POS we've come across. Lemon POS does not seem to be a restaurant POS (just retail). We are looking at integrating Floreant with ADempiere.
Check out FreePOS at http://myfreepos.net it has everything you guys need an is free for nonprofit use, free to try, only $99.95 for commercial use, updates are free for life, tech support is free via email and paid phone/online support is avaliable and best of all, you get to talk directly with the owner/programmer.
FWIW, we did eventually go with Floreant POS. I had initially dismissed it, but later (after lowering my expectations a bit) realized that it would work fine.
I had to do a bit of hacking on it, but the code was pretty straightforward, so that wasn't such a big deal. My hacked version is here: http://github.com/silug/floreantpos
@steven: Just FYI, I have been in contact with the developers of Floreant POS and they've quoted me to integrate Floreant with ADempiere.
My company has the project on stand-by at the moment.
Dudes, I'm here in Africa and I'd like a low cost solution for a friend's retail shop. They're using Quick Books POS 2008 but it's running Windoze & sooner or later, that XP install is gonna get fu*ked. Hey, it's Windoze!!
I haven't played with any other software yet. I'm surprised OpenBravo isn't that good. They have lots of venture capital ca$h funding them.
Anywho, the setup my friend has is a retail store where they have 200 arts & crafts vendor selling stuff on consignment or just paying a monthly rent. BUT, all sales go thru the same POS (QB 2008).
At then end of the month, the vendor gets a printout of their sales and a check is given to them (less a small %age for managing everything).
Soooo, which is the BEST Linux solution for my friend's shop?? Even paying for software is not a problem...as long as it's not over priced like QB 2008 POS. :-)
But being on Linux is great to avoid nasty Windoze malware/viruses, etc.
Unfortunately, Floreant is only for restaurants! Too bad they don't have a Retail version. Arghh!!
Max - The IT Pro
http://MaxTheITpro.com
Use this Open Source POS - SPS POS System(http://spsbusiness.codeplex.com/), i use it for my business. It already has the function i need for my critical business.
Steven,
I was wondering if you had any updated on how floreant POS is working for you and also what modifications you made to improve the system.
Thanks in advance!
I was wondering if the Floreant POS is still under development it seems that since late april 2010 nothing is going on on the blog or forum.
Honestly, since I got Floreant POS working for my client, I've mostly ignored development. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was dead. That seems to be the way that open-source POS projects work. :-/
All of the (minor) modifications I had to make are on Github.
Good day..
I would like to know if it's possible to integrate into FloreantPOS a configuration file with .properties extension. Taken that I have the configurations of the UI that I would like in this .properties file. Will this work in FloreantPOS?
Hi Steve :)
How are you ?
Floreant pos is not dead :P
Major DB migration is part is done.
Rest development is based on cleints requirement.
If client says i need WEB interface for Floreant POS, it will be ready in 25 days.
I am also agree that Lemon POS has a nice backend interface , but the frontend is unusuable on a 4:3 touchscreen for various reasons!!!
http://www.sambapos.com/ is a relative newcomer, but is moving fast. Developed in C#, LGPL license. Only a year old, but the people on the forums who have deployed it seem pretty happy with it. I compared Unicenta and SambaPOS video demos, and thought SambaPOS looked alot more usable
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