Abstract. In this presentation I will try to convince that there is more behind. The Herschel Common Software System (HCSS), and its extensions to support the PACS, SPIRE and HIFI intstruments of ESA's Herschel spacecraft to be launched in 2008, is currently being developed to offer to the astronomical community the means to do science with Herschel data products, without any licences. The system has a double function. On one hand, it supports the commissioning of the instrument, the validation of the observing modes, and the calibration of the instruments. On the other hand, it allows astronomers to use the same software, in an interactive environment, to analyze the data. Furthermore, the system also provides toolboxes to develop data processing algorithms in a scripting environment. I will give a biased view of the system, focusing on the HIFI instrument, and emphasizing the role we play in the calibration pipeline and the spectral toolboxes.

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