[Alexandria-list] Slovak translation and using a webcam as a barcode scanner

[Andreas Kotes]

Hello Cathal / list,

* Cathal Mc Ginley <cathal.alexandria at gnostai.org> [20090303 02:16]:
> However, I had been working (some months ago) with making this more
> flexible, and wrote a client-server type setup for barcode
> scanning. (I can't find it at the moment, but it was for some user's
> expensive serial barcode scanner, that sub-project kinda went nowhere.)

well, it went to sleep on my harddisk, and begs to be revived - which
gets more likely now that my concience is invoked every time this
mailing list sees some action again *cough*

> I did have the framework set up, but that code never made it into SVN.
> If I can dig it up again, I'll create an SVN branch for
> "extended barcode scanner support" and you can work from that branch.

I've got it in any case ...

> > Is this a good idea or should I try something else?
> 
> Basically, if you can get Ruby code to grab images from a webcam and
> scan them with Zebra to produce the barcode number, Alexandria can be
> modified to accept those scans.

I figure adapting the Zebra C-code to act as a TCP client to the
interface in Alexandira should be a piece of cake.

The idea was to have AGSP (Alexandria Generic Scanner Protocol), and
there were simulators on http://slop.flatline.de/agsp-scanner.pl and
http://slop.flatline.de/agsp-alexandria.pl for both sides.

Cathal did an integration into Alexandria against the client simulator
and put them on http://www.gnostai.org/tmp/alexandria-0.6.3.1.tar.gz and
http://www.gnostai.org/tmp/alexandria_0.6.3.1_all.deb - I never came
around to completely integrate it with my own scanner (which requires
implementing some non-blocking I/O with an annoying inherently unstable
serial connection - possible, but tedious to implement, and I just had
things which were more fun to do *cough*) .. it's 80% done, just the
annoying 20% are missing. I'll try to get around to doing it this month.

> It sounds like a great little project, if maybe a little tricky in
> places. You'd have to check that whatever help I give in integrating
> this code into Alexandria is in line with the University's rules for
> computer projects.

I think by now it's straightforward - apart from the things that need to
be finished we'd need an implementation of a CueCat scanner client to
keep the old functionality and could even replace the old code
completely - making AGSP the default for 0.6.4 final.

> Also, check if it will be possible for you to release the code to
> Alexandria under the GPL when your project's finished? Even if not, the
> process of writing it will make it easier to re-implement if neccessary
> (you could just describe the approach you took).

I'll release all of my stuff under GPL, including the simulators.

> Anyway, let me know if you need any further pointers. And I'll keep
> you up to date on that SVN branch, if I can find that code...

hope the links back to your own site help ;)

   Andreas

P.S: I _think_ I've got an old CueCat lying around somewhere here, but I
don't really have a (Linux) system available to use it with for
integration - if somebody else would take that task, that would be cool.
Doesn't have to be in Ruby, just needs to be able to talk
agsp-alexandria.pl correctly. man perlipc(1) has some good code that
also roughly translates to how to do it in C ...

-- 
I'm a man with a one track mind .. so much to do in one lifetime!
Not a man for compromise .. and where's and why's and living lies ..
So I'm living it all - and I'm giving it all ...
-- Brian May / Queen - I want it all