This was done and very little difficulty was encountered in commissioning the system and its operating software. The retrieval software is Fultext from Fulcrum Ltd of Canada. This system is duplicated in a second stand by system. It was a rather different story with the telecommunications requirement. This involved British Telecom, additional hardware and specialist software.
Telecommunications is, at present, a black art rather than a science.
There really are far too many unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles getting in the way of good engineering. However, these problems were solved and the system was commissioned. Concurrently with this work on hardware, we made an extensive study of the POLlS database and how it was used. We were greatly helped by the Library staff of the House of Commons who gave freely of their time and knowledge. The most difficult part of any computer project is to thoroughly understand the nature of the business to which the computer system is applied.