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be run on the Burroughs computer hardware. Although Burroughs
had a library of standard computer software available to it, no
such “off-the-shelf” software could be found that would be
sufficient to meet the needs of HSN. The agreement provided that
Pioneer would own any software developed pursuant to the
agreement.
In designing the National Software, representatives from
Burroughs met with Mr. Pfeiffer and representatives from HSN to
discuss the operations and needs of HSN so that they could
determine the data structures, the lengths of the various fields,
and the reports that would need to be generated. Although the
programming code could not be copied from the Local Software as
it was in a different language, the basic descriptions of the
system and reports were taken from the Local Software in
designing the National Software, which saved Burroughs a good
deal of time during the design stage. The National Software
included the functionality of the Local Software in addition to
other functionality to account for differences in the business of
HSN from that conducted by HSC.
Although Burroughs originally believed that it could have
the whole system completed by July 1, 1985, it later concluded
that the only portion of the National Software that it would have
running by July 1, 1985, was the order entry system and the show
control system, which included the ability to print daily sales
reports, picking slips, and shipping labels. The inventory
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