User experience question: Why QR and not barcode?

[heathen711]

I'm new so feel free to educate me here.

I buy a box of filament, it gets delivered, I then have to add the box via the UI by searching for its name. I found that to be interesting as how the vendor prints the name and how it is in the external database did not line up.

I'm old and come from an inventory background, we used barcodes. So I looked and Spoolman supports QR, but that only works if I have the QR for the roll. So now I buy a different color, I don't have the QR, I have to manually add it, then I can print the QR and keep track of these QRs.

Versus using the UPC barcode printed right on the box, adding that info into the external database, such that I can use a barcode scanner or manually type in the UPC to find the exact one I bought and add that filament and spool to my database. Nothing for me to print and keep track of.

The "no match for this UPC" problem is the same as there is no external database entry for it, so add the spool manually and then request for it to be added to the shared external database. Same applies for region specific UPC codes if any filament manufacturer does that. So make the UPC field an array of strings, or a comma separated list.

IMO a UPC barcode is easier than printed QRs.

What am I missing?