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Platforms and Products
Solution platforms today are expected to utilize state-of-the-art,
standardized operating systems. Some of the decisive factors in selecting
an operating system in the retail trade include:
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An operating system should provide software administration
mechanisms to help minimize the total cost of ownership
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The flexibility of an operating system for use with different hardware and
peripherals
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Global availability to ensure complete coverage, as well as
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Scalability with regard to user requirements.
In light of these criteria, the Microsoft operating systems have established
themselves in the market, and the Microsoft Windows platform is now
positioned as an important technological factor.
However, the growing discussion of operating system scalability, as well as
the demand for continued reduction of the total cost of ownership, have led
to the emergence of other operating systems. The strongest trend has been
to Linux. Regardless of the industry involved, Linux offers itself as an
interesting supplement to the world of Microsoft.
In view of this trend, Wincor Nixdorf has defined a software strategy that
accommodates both Linux and the popular Microsoft platform:
Tra ding Post
Trading Post presents itself as an object-based POS solution which uses
the Microsoft Windows operating system throughout. With standardization
concepts for interfacing POS peripherals (OPOS), an innovative, modular
customizing concept and a graphical user interface at the POS terminal,
Trading Post is positioned in markets with demanding requirements for
system architecture and application versatility.
Microsoft platforms and technologies are used in the development of
Trading Post. With its basic standards and technologies - such as the ARTS
data model, the XML Internet standard, the OPOS peripheral control
concept and the Trading Post architecture - Trading Post is a software
solution that satisfies the needs of international retail companies oriented
toward technology and architecture. Trading Post provides plug-ins for the
Cash & Carry and General Merchandise segments.
PLATFORMS AND PRODUCTS
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