DHPOS is freeware software that will convert any DOS or Windows computer into a fully functional cash register / point of sale(POS) system.
This project was originally started (2001) by Dale Harris as a way to alleviate boredom one summer and to prove to himself that he could write a better POS system than the professionally written POS software that he was forced to use in the chain store that he worked at. After completing the software he uploaded it to his website for anyone to download for free.
Interest was immediate. Soon users worldwide were downloading the software and emailing him with suggestions for new features and other ways to improve it. Many of these suggestions have been added to the software and new versions come out with new features several times a year (as of 2007).
The project continues because, according to its author, it is needed. While large corporations can afford to pay for expensive POS software many small and medium enterprises cannot. A plain cash register may be affordable for them but it will not provide the information that modern businesses must have to compete.
The current version (2007) of the software has hundreds of features that make it suitable for most small to medium enterprises. The major limitations are a maximum 13,000 different items in the stock table and a maximum of 60 lines in a sale. This would make it unsuitable for a large grocery store, bookstore, or hardware store. The software will drive receipt printers, cash drawers, pole displays , barcode readers and other POS hardware.
As of 2007 there have been over 200,000 downloads of this software (to more than 60 countries) from the main website, and it can be also downloaded from many other freeware websites. Considering that users may receive the program directly from others, instead of downloading it, there is no reliable way to estimate the number of computers that are running it.
