[unqueued]

I found the most reliable barcode scanner to be an old Symbol usb scanner.

I also found that I could scan barcodes off of a screen with a laser scanner if I put a translucent white plastic bag over the screen. Maybe someone with more knowledge about optics could give some insight into why that trick works. My understanding is that laser scanners should only be able to scan by reflection, and shouldn't work off of a screen at all.

[masklinn]

Note that they’re scanning 2D “pdf417” barcodes.

Reading a linear barcode is quite easy, the shitty webcam of my 2010 macbook pro was enough for Delicious Library to pick most every article instantly, usually faster than I could even present the article.