[Ma-linux] Barcode scanners

[Jim Ide]

Hi everyone -

I am looking for a handheld barcode reader/scanner that will
work with Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.  Hopefully, the price
would be $200 or less, and the scanner would connect to the
computer with a USB cable.

I wrote a simple application several years ago that used a
barcode scanner.  As I recall, the scanner behaved like a keyboard
as far as the OS was concerned - when you pull the trigger on
the scanner, the scanner reads the characters on the barcode,
translates them into ASCII characters, and feeds them to the OS
as if a human had typed the same characters on a keyboard.

Do scanners still behave this way?  Will I need to install a
driver on my machine, or will the OS 'see' a new keyboard-like
device when I plug in the barcode scanner?  Most, if not all,
scanners are compatible with Windows, but what about Linux and
OS X?  Hopefully, a USB scanner will behave like a USB flash
drive or other USB device and 'just work' when you plug it in.

Thanks for your help.


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