In 1974 when Intermec invented Code 39, data capture technology was pretty simple: Print out a linear bar-code label and read it with a batch laser scanner.
As bar codes became commonplace, companies realized the advantage of carrying more data, leading to new symbologies such as PDF417 and matrix codes that convey far more information, and now radio frequency identification (RFID), which can serve as a portable, dynamic database attached to a pallet, case, or single item.
