Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!macfitz
From: macfitz@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Mark D Fitzsimmos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Writing custom communications appl
Message-ID: <53480@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: 26 Oct 90 16:18:09 GMT
Reply-To: macfitz@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Mark D Fitzsimmos)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh, Comp & Info Services
Lines: 24




Does anyone know of a Macintosh program that obtains credit card authorizations,
where you enter the account number, amount of purchase, expiration and then dial
a remote database to confirm that the account is in good standing and not
over-extended.  Since the application is for mail order purposes,  a batch mode
would be essential to make the program really useful.

Alternatively, where can I find:
1) the communications protocols for computerized CC authorizations and 
2) a decent library for communications programming, so that using a modem is
painless.  I can write software to communicate with the serial driver
(PBRead/Write, etc.) but I don't have any idea how to work the modem (e.g.,
dialing the number, establishing and maintaining communications).  I'm guessing
that these don't represent difficult programming hurdles, but I don't want to
reinvent the wheel.  A TCL object library that included some error handling
would be particularly useful.

I suppose the easiest path might be with Hypercard, but I'd rather write some
stand-alone code in Pascal that could run in background.  Thanks for your
assistance.

Mark D. Fitzsimmons