DHPOS is a great application NOT only because it is free!

[eli]

Most of you guys who have tried DHPOS find it to be great primarily because it is freeware. Most of you evaluate it in terms of it being freeware and not in terms of what it can do... Fine! A competent application that can meet your needs today.

Then one day, you wake up to find out that it can no longer meet your needs because your store now carries 13,001 items and has 27 workstations... Simple you say! Go out and buy a commercial application to meet your needs. Easier said than done. Upward migration, operator re-training, database retrieval, new equipment purchases... these are but a few of the expensive realities you will have to deal with the day you've reached the limits of DHPOS. Downtime in a heavy traffic retail store can mean millions per hour.

DHPOS is a great application! Freeware or otherwise. But unless it finds a way to circumvent its limitations this early, that's all it will be. A great software for people looking for freebies on the net.

And that's the real tragedy because it can be a truly great application IN SPITE of its being freeware!

[Guest]

Eli,

Have you ever thought that perhaps that's all it wants to be? The best POS freeware on the net?

[eli]

Yeah sure! Small frog... Big pond... but I was thinking more of Big frog, big pond...

[Dale Harris]

Well I see that this topic has now spread into a second thread. Ok, here are my thoughts.

I am doing this for two reasons. First, it is fun. Writing code is enjoyable for me. However that is because I do not have to do it. If I do not feel like coding then I don't. I decide when my deadlines are and if I miss one well too bad, I am not going to fire me and since I do not get paid for this I cannot take a cut in pay.

I get to decide on what features are going to be added to the program based on if it is interesting for me, I feel that I can do it, and that it will not be more work than I want to take on. Then I factor in what people are asking for and how many of my targeted users will need the feature. If you have a feature that you cannot live without, but no one else seems to want it and it is going to be a whole lot of boring work for me, then I am sorry but you are going to die!

The second reason that I am doing this is to help Dick and Jane who run the little store on the corner compete with Wal-mart. This program is intended for the small and medium sized businesses to better compete with the big guys. This means that I have no interest whatsoever of the big guys using this program.

If your store has more than 26 registers or carries more than 13,000 different items then I do NOT want you to be able to use this program. You have money falling out of your pockets, go spend some on a POS system. I am sure that there are professional progammers out there that could use some money that you would never miss. But then you are smart and will probably hire a programming outfit out-sources the actual work to India anyway.

I do realize that some larger single owner, book stores, hardware stores, or groceries may have inventories that approach 13,000 different items, I can't please everyone, sorry.

Plus the big guys would not use my program anyway. The first problem for them is the fact that it is free. I have had many middle managers tell me that when they told upper managment that my program was the best that they had found that they were then told that they could not use my POS because it was free and they didn't trust that. Big guys also want to know that the company that provides their POS will be around for a long time and I could die tomorrow. Since they are spending big bucks on their POS software they want the vendor to be able to provide custom features on short notice and I may be fishing that day, or I just don't want to do it.

So bottom line, I do this for fun, I do not want big companies to use it (they wouldn't anyway), the small and medium companies that are using it seem to be pretty darn happy with it, and I am still adding new features to it as fast as I want to.

There, that about covers it.

[Tats]

You know what Dale? I see your point but I agree with Eli that it is a tragedy that you are doing this for the mom& pop store in your neighborhood.

You seem to have an enthusiastic team in Andrew & Jon... a good concept, and zillions of ideas from your users. Remember the parable of the talents? Oh well, its your software but your last post sounded more like a cop-out. It is a tragedy indeed...

[Guest]

Hey! Ease off! You'd probably feel the same way if you gave away DHPOS because you never thought a hundred thousand businesses could have any use for it! That was not very smart of Dale as he admitted but what's done is done and I'm glad because I can use his app in my small convenience store.

Thanks Dale,

Chad

[AnonSequitur]

Eli,

I view this as a fantastic gift of altruism rarely seen on the internet.

I salute Dale Harris on his spirit of giving and his wonderful software.

I see no reason, nor right to complain. Constructive criticism, suggestions for improvements, etc. are always welcome.

The little guy deserves a helping hand against the multi-million dollar behemoths seeking to squish them out of existence.

Well done, Dale! Keep up the great work! It is much appreciated!

[eli]

As I said, DHPOS is a great application NOT only because it is free. It simply is a great application. Period!

But you guys are missing the point... I am not complaining... neither am I criticizing what it can do... but rather what it cannot do... YET!

You wanna give Dick & Jane a chance? Fine. Don't sit on your laurels! I won't wilt and die because there are good reasons why the big boys are big boys. By the time you get to make it what it should have been yesterday, we "big boys" will be into radio frequency tracking...

I wanted more features for DHPOS not for myself but for Dick & Jane because my clients can afford much anything I recommend. You wanna help?

Well, here is a darn good application that won't get better unless someone makes it happen... Unfortunately, Dale Harris, locksmith, altruist, head of the family and the man on the spot, would rather go fishing!