Integrating hardware with browser

Rails
1

Hello,

I’ve looked high and low and found just 1 post with some information
about this subject, from 2008, and Google searches turned out pretty
much no useful information. I would appreciate any help on this.

I need to be able to control several devices (card reader, printer,
camera, cashier drawer) attached to the client. Has anybody done
anything similar? Any info/links would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

2

On May 4, 5:19 am, pepe [email protected] wrote:

Hello,

I’ve looked high and low and found just 1 post with some information
about this subject, from 2008, and Google searches turned out pretty
much no useful information. I would appreciate any help on this.

I need to be able to control several devices (card reader, printer,
camera, cashier drawer) attached to the client. Has anybody done
anything similar? Any info/links would be greatly appreciated.

Well if you stick to straight html/javascript you’ll have zero control
over external devices (beyond what is provided by javascript APIs
supported by the browser, eg the geolocation api gives you access to
location data from gps units). If you wrote a browser plugin, that
plugin would just be native C/C++ code and would be able to do
anything native code on that platform can do. Your plugin and your
webpage can communicate via javascript too.

Fred

3

Thanks Fred,

I got in contact with a .NET friend and he can access the software
using Silverlight. I think we’re going to go with him accessing the
hardware and see if he can provide me with an interface to communicate
with his code and make it part of the RoR app.

Thank you so much for your help.

On May 4, 7:12 am, Frederick C. [email protected]

4

pepe wrote:

Thanks Fred,

I got in contact with a .NET friend and he can access the software
using Silverlight. I think we’re going to go with him accessing the
hardware and see if he can provide me with an interface to communicate
with his code and make it part of the RoR app.

I would suggest Flash or Java instead of Silverlight.

Thank you so much for your help.

On May 4, 7:12�am, Frederick C. [email protected]

Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser
http://www.marnen.org
[email protected]

5

Hi Marnen,

What are the advantages of using Flex or Java instead? Are there any
particular tools I should be looking at? I know Java (not a guru,
though) but I know nothing about Flash and what it is capable of.

Thanks a lot.

6

Thanks for the input, Marnen.

7

pepe wrote:

Hi Marnen,

What are the advantages of using Flex or Java instead?

Flash, not necessarily Flex. AFAIK, they have better browser support
than Silverlight.

Are there any
particular tools I should be looking at? I know Java (not a guru,
though) but I know nothing about Flash and what it is capable of.

I don’t know that much about Flash myself, but it can at least control
cameras.

Thanks a lot.

Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser
http://www.marnen.org
[email protected]