If history had taken another path, bar codes would look dramatically different today. Pictured: Here’s some of the options that were being considered, and the bull’s-eye was a favorite ⬇️
“Even in their wildest dreams, [the committee members] could not have imagined how consequential their decision ended up being,” writes Jordan Frith of Clemson University.
https://theconversation.com/how-we-almost-ended-up-with-a-bulls-eye-bar-code-219194
@histodons #histodons #history #technology
@TheConversationUS@newsie.social @histodons@a.gup.pe Litton and RCA designs are quite pleasing. I wonder what the committee’s reasons were for selecting IBM in the end. Presumably it just worked better. Also wondering if RCA wound up retaliating at all as they threatened.
@ConstableJelly@mastodon.social @TheConversationUS@newsie.social @histodons@a.gup.pe likely nothing circular was seriously considered. You could print a usable vertical bar barcode on a 9-pin dot matrix printer.
@ConstableJelly@mastodon.social @TheConversationUS@newsie.social @histodons@a.gup.pe
Going to guess that IBM was shortlisted for having the physical numbers under the bar code with biggish and easily read font. Back in the day I remember cashiers having to resort to it with some regularity, perhaps due to the scanners not being as advanced back then.