i can't find any info on developing for magnetic card readers in the unix environment. I'm developing a POS system and i want it to include credit card verification. Any direction would be hot...
Look at this page.
I see that they have one model that has an rs-232 interface. That would probably be the way to go. Almost every unix system has a serial interface. So you don't need a driver, you just use the tty driver. The device will have it's own language and it will look to unix just like a user typing unusual stuff on a terminal.
I guess it would help if i clarify exactly what i'm doing with the card readers. I'm trying to develope my own point of sale software and i want to use unix because of the networking features in the OS. I can't find any information on developing in C++ with the card readers, and the readers don't come with an API or anything of the sort. So i am left ot finding the info i need on the web....
Each card reader would be different, I have never heard of a standard or anything. You'll have to get info from the manufacturer that descibes how to talk to it.
And if the manufacturer doesn't have an api, write one.
There are lots of card reader standards and APIs. I have worked with quite a few in the past:
A simple google search pulls up:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="Card\+Reader"\+API
Here are standards bodies working everything under the sun from open APIs to alliance APIs.
awesome, i found some information... however, i see all of this stuff about different numbers of tracks and different ISO standars and stuff, what does the card reader have to be able to read to do credit and debit transactions? ie, which standards and how many tracks... etc.
Those are financial application specfic questions and not really UNIX or IT specific questions. Sorry, wrong forum. Suggest you join a financial transaction forum or mailing list.