Cauzin Softstrip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cauzin Softstrip was a 2D barcode format that was introduced in the mid 1980s. Several computer magazines printed Softstrip data that encoded program source listings, or even executable programs.
Softstrip format never became very popular. It was intended to replace the tedium of entering type-in programs from magazines but the format encoded less than a thousand bytes per square inch,[1] which meant that large files took up a lot of space in a magazine. The bar codes didn't work well if the magazine ink was smeared; and the reader hardware was relatively expensive at around US$200[2] leading to a chicken and egg problem where magazines were reluctant to publish listings in Softstrip format until there was a sizable user base, and users waited for the bar codes to become common in magazines before buying the unit.
[edit] Notes
- ^ U.S. Patent 4,728,783 on the format
- ^ [1] comment by a person who owned a Cauzin reader
[edit] External links
- [2] has photos of a Cauzin Softstrip Reader, and also has a downloadable scanned image of a Softstrip.
- [3] is a scan of an article, complete with accompanying Softstrip and information on how to buy a reader.
- [4] has a brief history of the Softstrip format.
