Subj : credits
To   : echicken
From : Sys64738
Date : Thu Dec 02 2021 08:28 am

  Re: credits
  By: echicken to Sys64738 on Wed Dec 01 2021 15:13:31

 > There's an entire market of point-of-sale software out there, surely with
 > several options that meet your friend's needs.
 >
 > Using Synchronet for this is a strange approach. At best, it would serve as
 > a "platform" providing a few network services, user accounts, and a
 > scripting engine. Just about everything else would be a custom job.

Don't get me wrong.  My friend is a good guy and I'd do anything in the world for him, but he gets stuck on an idea, obsesses over it, pesters me about it, and wa-la!...here we are talking about it.

 > I won't lie to you, it's technically possible, but most likely there'd be a
 > lot of dev work involved. Security of customer data would be a real concern.

Certainly.

 > Using a terminal on a modern phone is miserable. I say that as a dedicated
 > textmode user who would dearly love for it to be otherwise. I'm skeptical
 > that your friend's customers would find it tolerable.

I rarely use the one I have on my phone for that same reason.

 > Maybe there's something about your friend's customer base which makes this
 > an attractive option, but that seems unlikely. These days, users of the sort
 > of system you're talking about would want a proper mobile app. Failing that,
 > a good web application would do.

What can I say?  He's weird.  They're weird.  Although they'd probably describe themselves as "eccentric" rather than weird.

 > I *could* do it, but I don't think my conscience would allow it. Or that I
 > have the time. Or that I want the liability. Or that your friend would want
 > to pay the bill. And if I get hit by a bus, you're left with this weird
 > Frankenstein's monster of a BBS integration and nobody to support it.
 >
 > It's a wild idea and fun to talk about, but I'd really recommend looking at
 > a proper modern solution.

Trust me.  He's been coming at me about this for months.  I've offered plenty of alternatives.  If all else fails, then I'll just tell him that everyone thinks he's a kook for wanting to do it, nobody wants to help, and I won't talk about it any more because people are starting to look at me strangely. Ha!

                                                    SYS64738

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