[techtalk] Linux Barcode Scanner & Printer

[Magni Onsoien]

Marie Fischer:

> > Could someone please point me towards information on bar code scanners and 
> > printers that work under Linux?  
> 
> The company I work for uses bar code scanners with linux and this is what 
> I got from some short talk with one of the guys who program them:
> There are 2 kinds of scanners, the first is plugged into the keyboard,
> the second into the serial port. The keyboard ones are transparent,
> there's no difference whether you type in the numbers with the keyboard or
> read them with the scanner. 

The helpdesk at my old job have them, they use them for registering CDs
with software that they lend out to students. It worked right out of the
box - the barcode scanner was there at 3pm, and they were using it at
3:05pm.

They are using GNU-barcode to generate the barcodes, you'll find this
and more similar programmes if you search on fex freshmeat.net.

So, to my question: I'd love to scan all my books and make a nice DB
with them all :) (With 600+ books I don't want to do this manual)
The problem is that it would be really nice to have the
ISBN-code, but the easiest seem to be to get the EAN-code (i.e. the
barcode). So, is there a mapping between ISBN and EAN or is there any 
database with the mapping somewhere os should it be possible to be nice 
to my local bookstore and ask them for their database (they scan the 
barcode and the booktitle is written on the receipt, so at least they have 
some mapping barcode->book that may help me, I'd be happy just to have the
titles of my books first).
Have someone done anything like this before?


Magni :)
-- 
ulimit is good for you.