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Gene Mosher edited this page Jan 13, 2026 · 44 revisions

🎉 ViewTouch Wiki — Welcome

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🌟 What is ViewTouch?

In 1986, ViewTouch® was the world's first restaurant point of sale (PoS) solution on the Atari ST. Today, ViewTouch is based on Debian Linux and The X Window System. ViewTouch runs on the popular Raspberry Pi computers. The official ViewTouch computer is the ViewTouch/Chipsee all-in-one Raspberry Pi touchscreen computer.

🎨 Concept

ViewTouch is a Point of Sale Window Manager for Linux with an integrated Graphical Toolkit that allows anyone to build a touchscreen interface — a complete hospitality point of sale and workgroup solution with their own unique menu and table layout.

  • 📺 Standard graphical resolution: Full High Definition (1920×1080)
  • 🎯 Unique interfaces: Each user interface is unique and must be completed by the end user
  • 🛠️ Toolkit approach: This is achieved using the integrated Graphical Toolkit

🚀 Toolkit Access for Building and Editing Hospitality Menus

  1. Log in as user: Editor
  2. Toggle Edit Mode with the F1 key

🖥️ Prebuilt Raspberry Pi bootable Image

The downloadable file is at: Download ViewTouch Image. Write it to a 32GB, or larger, microsd.

📦 The bootable ViewTouch image for the Raspberry Pi Includes:

  • 🖼️ The ViewTouch Window Manager and Point of Sale desktop (screenshot)
  • 📜 Script-based icons and Program Launchers
  • ⚙️ Utility Applications
  • 🔗 Links to various userland packages. These are explained in the Desktop section of the wiki.

Everything you need at your fingertips!

🛠️ Setup Instructions for the bootable image

  • Decompression of the downloaded image requires: dtrx or 'zstd'
  • Write the decompressed image to a 32GB microsd:
    • The Linux lsblk command determines that the external device /dev/sda (or sdx) is available, then the command 'ddrescue -f path/to/rpi.img /dev/sda' writes the image to the external device's microsd. The microsd becomes the raspberry pi's bootable file system.

    • Raspberry Pi Imager (available for all platforms)

🔄 Update to Latest Source at GitHub

The blue sphere 🔵 on the ViewTouch desktop is a bash script pull.sh to download, compile, link, and install up-to-date executable files.

🌐 Networked Displays and the immense advantage of ViewTouch's client application - server design.

ViewTouch is unique in a way which is critical for network efficiency; it implements 'ssh' and the X Window System network transparency. A single instance of the ViewTouch client application can serve more than 250 'remote' encrypted graphical displays and network printers for your hospitality workgroup.

🔐 Credentials

The default logon ID for Editor is: 123456789

⚠️ The Editor Password (logon ID) is easily changed. On Page One, select 'Edit Mode Documents'.

📞 Support and Training

Restaurateurs wishing training and 24/7 support should contact Gene at: ViewTouch Contact

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