[Gumstix-users] Newbie help..

[Michele H. <mhj...@ma...>]

I am interested in using your gumstix for an embedded project for a  
marketing buddy of mine.
I am not sure which computer or daughterboards to select. and i am  
looking for a lil help


  What i need to do is hook-up your computer with a USB barcode  
reader swipe like the one below (yes barcode not mag stripe)  link  
below.
http://www.barcodecatalog.com/cgi-local/hall.pl? 
com=product&field1=000000172

I want to write a perl or python app that will stay running and just  
wait for someone to swipe the card and when swipped compare the data  
to a local file and if a certain condition is met i need to send a  
control signal to a second usb or serial port to trigger a relay  
which opens a door.

this is not for a door control system (access control) its for a  
marketing gimic box.

So in short my question to the list is which gumstix computer is best  
suited for this purpose, which accessories/ power supplies do i need  
(or can i use a battery) and how do i interface with
the unit to get a bash or perl or python app compiled and loaded on  
the machine from my mac.

Thanks in advance
mike