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 Channel Futures

Open Source


Open Source Point-of-Sale Systems: Worth A Look?

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • March 4, 2008

Cha-ching. That’s the noise open source companies hope to hear as they launch new point-of-sale solutions for VARs and retail customers. But can open source POS systems compete with traditional, popular options from Dell, Microsoft, IBM, NCR and others?

The VAR Guy can’t say for sure, but he’s seeing progress on the open source front. Here’s the update.

Openbravo has launched Openbravo POS 2.0. The new platform has an improved user interface, more reporting features, global localization features, and some other bells and whistles. Openbravo acquired the base POS technology when it snapped up Librepos in 2007. (In its early days, the software was known as TinaPOS.)

Meanwhile, Novell continues to push forward with various point-of-sale software partnerships. One of which, with 360 Commerce (now owned by Oracle), promotes POS technology on SuSE Linux. Novell also has a specialized operating system, called SuSE Linux Point of Service, that’s back by IBM, NCR and SAP.

While Linux continues to gain momentum on in the POS world, it seems as if open source applications are just getting started in the POS sector. Some options, such as Openbravo POS and PHP Point of Sale, appear to be gaining momentum. But others, such as BananaPOS, never seemed to gain critical mass.

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Open Source Specialty Practices

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20 comments

  1. Avatar Open Source Point of Sale Software: Worth a Look | Open Sour March 5, 2008 @ 11:00 am
    Reply

    […] can open source POS systems compete with traditional, popular options from Microsoft and others? Here are some thoughts from The VAR Guy. March 5, 2008 middot; Linux, News, Open Source […]

  2. Avatar fsdaily.com March 6, 2008 @ 11:50 am
    Reply

    Story added…

    This story has been submitted to fsdaily.com! If you think this story should be read by the free software community, come vote it up and discuss it here:

    http://www.fsdaily.com/Business/Open_Source_Point_of_Sale_Systems_Worth_A_Look…

  3. Avatar ex360 March 6, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
    Reply

    The article implies that 360Commerce was open source. It wasn’t. Source code was sold to customers for customization excluding the low level Foundation code.

  4. Avatar The VAR Guy March 6, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
    Reply

    ex360: Thanks for the correction.

  5. Avatar jlwallen March 6, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
    Reply

    i installed and use nolapro at the salon where i work. it’s pretty sweet. it’s not open source but it is free and does run on linux.

  6. Avatar d mackley September 30, 2008 @ 8:25 pm
    Reply

    This is an interesting post. I run a software company that has developed a POS system based on open source components, for example it uses a Firebird open source database (which is superb by the way) and the central servers are Linux. We are planning to make some elements of our development open source for example we have developed a migration program to migrate websites, however I have not yet come up with a business model that works which would allow us to make the main software open source, it has taken over 6 years of development so far and we are just now getting some decent returns on this significant investment. Any ideas or thooughts would be interesting.

  7. Avatar Albert Wong October 20, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
    Reply

    I would also add that Triversity (now SAP Retail POS), is also on SuSE Linux Point of Service.

  8. Avatar The VAR Guy October 20, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
    Reply

    Albert: Good point. Plenty of closed source solutions for POS now run on Linux, too.

  9. Avatar Scott October 30, 2008 @ 12:51 am
    Reply

    Just wanted to throw in another option. The site doesn’t look like much but I have demo’d the software and love it. Although it isn’t open source it is a great hosted alternative, or should i say will be since it isn’t released yet. Very simple and intuitive and uses modern ajax techniques but is also compatible with javascript turned off for higher accessibility. Keep your eyes on the website for updates.

    http://www.firesalepos.com

  10. Avatar Scott October 30, 2008 @ 12:54 am
    Reply

    Sorry, miss typed the url. http://www.firesalepos.com

  11. Avatar Simao May 14, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
    Reply

    Hi,

    please take a look at Omni ERP from Hive Solutions (www.hive.pt) the company I work for.

    Our product is 100% open source, it is really innovative and we hope we can bring a new approach to enterprise applications, providing them with better experience, not only during interaction, but also when delivering all the associated services.

    http:\blog.hive.pt

  12. Avatar Ali June 22, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
    Reply

    Hi Simao,

    I tried your web site, and have look at your blog. I am wondering how can I get my hand on you project and have it to try? (Where I can download it?)

  13. Avatar D. Meade July 28, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
    Reply

    Wanted to add that Volante offers a reliable and flexible Linux POS solution that is worth a look:
    http://www.volantesystems.com/linuxpos.html

  14. Avatar Scott August 12, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
    Reply

    FireSale POS is now public and the base account is free. The application is SaaS so it is hosted for you and available anywhere there is an internet connection.

    The system is great for smaller businesses looking for low software overhead costs. FireSale’s goal is to be more simple than other systems. They focus on core features and leave out unnecessary clutter and bloat.

    Check it out at firesalepos.com

  15. Avatar The VAR Guy August 12, 2009 @ 6:52 pm
    Reply

    Scott: The VAR Guy rather enjoys when old blogs receive new comments and perspectives — even when the new comments include somewhat of a sales pitch. Thanks for furthering the discussion.

  16. Avatar Heather August 28, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
    Reply

    I’m not usually one for sales pitches either, but firesalepos.com is pretty sweet. Their features page needs a little more depth but I went ahead and signed up. Easy to use.

  17. Avatar Graham Stamper December 2, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
    Reply

    I have used open source as a quick route to market but heavy
    level epos functionality normally requires a strong database
    design at the start to handle all the additional requests you will get from users. Most application writer are choosing SQL server for its resilence and scaleability on volume of transactions whih can be a downfall of simpler systems as the
    old sales build up over time affecting till and reporting speed

  18. Avatar Philip Kozovsky December 29, 2009 @ 11:39 am
    Reply

    I’m a retailer but I am very interested in open source so I took this kind of POS software for both of my restaurants. You can take a look at http:\www.vladster.net The product is called IncoPOS, it has many useful utilities. Very easy to use.

  19. Avatar The VAR Guy December 29, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
    Reply

    Philip: Looks like a .Net solution. How is it working for you?
    -TVG

  20. Avatar Jack Gerrard October 22, 2010 @ 9:46 am
    Reply

    Bit of a Sales pitch I know but hey, someone has to do it 🙂

    Have taken Openbravo POS 2.3 and bug-fixed all/most known bugs as well as re-jigged it to fit 800×600 resolution upwards (Openbravo POS starts at 1024×768) as well as adding more key reports and etc.

    It’s good to go and is open as you’re going to get and is Free to Download. Free to Use and Free to Own.
    http://www.unicentaopos.co.uk

    Jack

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