CueCat vs the USB Keyboard

Ages ago I picked up one of the RadioShacks CueCats but I never used it. Up until today it sat in a box of computer junk having survived several purges. You know Purges: You have so much junk you have to get ride of the old.

I never got ride of the CueCat because barcode scanners are not cheap, which I do not understand.

Any way, I came across Scott Hanselman's article on a .Net app for the CueCat, Coding4Fun Hardware Boneyard - Using the CueCat with .NET, and decided to break out the old dusty cat and give it a spin.

The code was no problem, getting my machine to read the CueCat was. See, I have a Logitech wireless keyborard and mouse so Windows XPdid not load the PS/2 drivers. I wound up having to dig up an old PS/2 keyboard (from the same junk box, you should always have PS/2 keyboard and mouse handy!) plugged it in, rebooted and vola, it worked.

Now I am off to inventory my CD collection. And my books. Maybe the comic books. If I do the pantry my wife my smack me....

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