post != rant #sorry

Just curious. How would one go about programming something like this? Do you guys think this machine just displays a fullscreen web app made in html/css or is there another approach with an actual programming language, not markup language that one can take? I heard it uses RFID technology to show cartridge levels, and records the time dispensed, alerts store owner when low, and brand dispensed alongside just dispensing drinks.

A web app would be a horrible way to go for something like this. It's probably some proprietary system unless they use some modified version of Linux or Android

I would destroy that stupid application if I had the chance to rewrite it.

I don't know how it's made, but it could be so much better.

@kevbost from a UX perspective? Just curious, how would you change it?

a friend of mine saw one of the workers tap a certain three bubbles to bring up another screen for input. I dont think its a web app.

@xroad It's not very fast, for one. That's it's first problem (I don't have one in front of me for reference)

I just know that every time I stand in front of one of these I find something to shake my head at.

@aceface if you go to the water screen, an tap the top, bottom-left, bottom-right, in that order on the water logo up top, it brings up said screen apparently.

@xroad how so? I mean I figure a web app wouldn't be a good approach, but I just wanna know your reasoning?

@dantheman just so you can join the convo lol

@jdmkaan the application running on it needs to be able to interface with hardware. It needs to, at the very least, have access to GPIO, and at the most, have access to actual API calls that can control everything from the sensors to the mechanical pieces inside that switch what sodas and flavors that actually come out of the fountain.

Although possible, it would be a pain to write all of that and then combine it with a web app. Even if the GUI is written in markup, there is a lot more going on underneath it than what vanilla or semi-vanilla JavaScript or the like, for example, could handle. At the very least, it's taking advantage of some interesting CGI work.

@jdmkaan I've got some hardware background so hopefully I'm not talking out of my ass.

It's the same reason you wouldn't use a web app for a car system. You can't rely on internet connectivity. The system needs to keep functioning without it. Not to mention most of the time these computers are proprietary and designed for specific tasks. It keeps costs down and makes them reliable for the specific tasks they're designed to do. The downside to that is that they're going to be single purpose computers, putting a browser in there is too much computational overhead.

Also what @Treebasher said

There mist be someone here who knows about these things and explain the whole tech stack of these machines

Either they run an embedded version of Windows or a stripped down Linux distro from the ones I've seen.

Looks like it runs some variation of Windows http://moriartys.net/2011/03/...

For machine control we use proprietary hmi (human machine interface) software that gives basic building blocks. A lot of these packages are limited as the OS they run is often Windows CE.

Dude you trynna open a 7/11 or what? 😉