How would I accomplish this? Is there a specific brand of card reader/writer that works easily with linux and windows (linux being more important as I need to deploy these to cheap kiosks).
+1
A:
Googling "magnetic card reader writer linux" will give you lots of hits. Also search for "stripe snoop" - it's open-source software looks like it reads well, but doesn't write yet.
It's been my experience with similar devices that if you find one at a price that works for you, then even if the manufacturer doesn't supply a Linux driver or SDK, if you can get units with an RS-232 or RS422 serial interface and reasonable documentation, it just takes a bit of elbow grease to code up a usable communications layer. Other interfaces like USB or Ethernet may require more work or even need a Linux driver from the manufacturer.
Bob Murphy
2009-11-29 17:10:26