SCOTT.GARDNER  LightSpeed is an excellent solution with a solid track record and forward plan

LightSpeed 2.0 extends its lead in POS/inventory management software with new features and enhancements including a much improved back-end interface. Not that the pre-2.x interface was bad, but that's exactly the point I want to make. *There is no perfect software.* I feel what defines the relative value of an application can be broken down into 4 simple concepts:

1. Functionality

2. Interface

3. Developer

4. Tech support

Functionally, LightSpeed is highly-capable, well-organized, and stable. The interface is very handsome and Mac-like. These are justifiable reasons for downloading the free demo to try it for yourself as an A-B comparison with whatever other titles you are evaluating. That said, I can tell you from experience (I am a software consultant and have been working closely with Xsilva for over a year, and we also use LightSpeed to run our business), the people at Xsilva shine. They are genuinely interested in understanding and meeting the customer's needs (e.g., they host an active public blog), their tech support possesses a wonderful combination of expertise, patience, and courteousness, and the company's work ethic is epitomized by Dax Dasilva, the president and developer of LightSpeed.

In *every* application, there is room for improvement and addition of new features. The key questions to ask are:

1. Does the application offer solid functionality that I can use effectively today to run my business?

2. Does the company behind the application have a plan and commitment to continually develop the application?

In my experience, the answer to both questions of LightSpeed and Xsilva is, yes.  (Version 2.0a)

MACGEEKVT  I researched Point of Sale solutions for the Mac for more than 5 years. Lightspeed is most certainly priced competitively. Its not the least expensive, but its far from the most expensive. I'd say you get what you pay for, but Lightspeed breaks that barrier by giving you far more than you pay for when compared to the alternatives. My business implemented Lightspeed 6 months ago and our workflow has been improved tremendously. The developer is very responsive and quickly resolves any issues. Given the complexity of the product, the ease of use and power is amazing!  (Version 1.3.6)

FLYING ACE  Hah, I WANT to have my own business just so I can use this gorgeous piece of software!!  (Version 1.3.5)

DUSTIN TEMPLETON  I work for an Apple Specialist that has been trying differnt business management and point of sale systems for years. We've gone through multiple FileMaker systems, etc. Finally with LightSpeed, we have a real system for the Mac. The developers are amazing when it comes to supporting and listening to your requests. This system gets better every day. We started looking into it about 1 year ago. It wasn't quite where we needed it to be at that time, but they listened. They've implemented our reqeuested features and then some. We have about 20 users hitting the db every day, and it works great! I expect only great things to come from this company.  (Version 1.2.2)