[NTLUG:Discuss] A client solution using Linux

[Daniel Hauck]

I have been warned that I might be heavily criticized for bringing this
topic up in the discussion list, but I can think of no better place as this
is not simply a "job."  It's an announcement, it's a request for input and
also a request for volunteers.

I'm the network systems administrator at Amstar Systems Inc.  We are located
in Carrollton, TX.  The core of our business is ATMs.  (Automated Teller
Machines)  We have been working on an ambitious project surrounding
international monetary exchange.  Actually, we're working on a lot more than
only that, but I'm trying to keep this simple.

On our ATM client machines, we want to be able to handle not only
traditional ATM transactions, but enhanced services as well.  Enhanced
services would include money transfers, check cashing, money order printing,
currency exchange and virtually any financial service you can imagine.

Billions of dollars are sent from Texas to Mexico on a constant basis.
Mexican workers find work in the U.S. and send as much money as they can
back home to their families.  Currently, these transfers are being handled
by companies such as Western Union.  To help manage the transport, prepaid
phone cards are sold so that the transfer can be coordinated on both sides.
We have been working with a major bank in Mexico and even with Mexico's
President Fox on this project.  We believe we can do it better. [Using
Linux]

Various level of prototyping has been done under Windows but we will not
accept the "blue screen of death" on our products and services.  We know we
will be spending tens or even hundreds of thousands on creating the software
for this project, why do we also need to spend thousands more on licensing
the operating system too?  That's why we are choosing Linux as our OS
platform on this project.

One of our stumbling blocks at the moment is creating a system for the
recording, transport and play back of "video letters."  Instead of simply
selling phone cards and letting people send money, we think these families
who are so far apart would enjoy being able to see each other as well.  We
need a cost effective method that we can deploy relatively quickly to
accomplish this.

If you have any tested solutions to offer, then by all means submit them
back to me.  If you are a developer and would like a piece of the pie, then
you may contact me in response to this as well.  This is not a "job"
listing.  It's a chance for anyone to offer up what they know.  If you want
to offer your knowledge on this forum, I would appreciate the guidance.  If
you want to make a few thousand dollars from what you already know, I'm sure
that will also be acceptable.  If you want a piece of the pie before our
IPO, a few thousands could turn into a few million.

My apologies to anyone who thinks my message is in the wrong list, but I
think this project has enough value to the members here to be of interesting
note.  At the very least, "bragging rights."  You guys saw it here first.