critical features like OneCancelAll, not available for option spreads / combos. eg could be in a spread at 1.00 debit, and want to sell at 2.00 and simultaneously set a stop at 1.50, so whichever executes first, it cancels the other. Critical for anyone who cant be at his computer screen 24/7 OCA feature, available for single legs only. Anyone with even a little experience in trading options, would trade spreads / combos, rather than single legs. Suggesting only inexperienced option traders use IB IB only allow one option chain to be opened at a time rather than multiple. RAM hogging software, even with nothing extra open and can take ~+10mins to open after log in details entered. Commissions should always be <$1 per leg, esp considering there are expensive cancellation fees ~>$1 per leg for single leg trades, lack of available features and facilities to trader. This is not criticsim for the sake of criticism, but we want IB to be one of the top brokers for option traders. Currently, its average at bes
Allocating More Memory To Java Step 1. Open CONTROL PANEL. Step 2. Type 'Java' inside the 'Search Control Panel' box. Step 3. Click the Java icon that pops up. Step 4. Click the Java tab. Step 5. Click View... Step 6. Assure there is only ONE line in here, any more lines could cause issues. If you have multiple lines uninstall all versions of Java from your system and... ...download Java JDK 7 from the following link. Make sure to get the x64 version if you have a 64-bit OS. http://jdk7.java.net/download.html Step 7. Change Runtime Parameters. I have mine set to: -Xincgc -Xmx2048M Change it depending on how much RAM you have. For 32-bit Operating Systems 768M is recommended. If you have 64-bit, or that doesn't work, continue to try the following 1G 1536M 2G As I said, this varies depending on how much System RAM you have. Step 8. Click OK. Step 9. (OPTIONAL) Restart your system, not necasary. Step 10. ??? Step 11. PROFIT
I suspect this is user-specific. I sometimes trade at my father's place, on a 10-year-old 933MHz Pentium 3 with 512MB and a 1mbps DSL line, and TWS doesn't take more than 3 minutes to start up on that.
You are not charged cancelling order for combo orders so if you put risk riversal or spread or butterfly order and then cancel it, you are not charged anything.
spindr0 The OCA function has been put in by several traders, and we voted on it. It is not always the case that just because many vote for it it gets incorporated with an upgrade. IB has the ultimate say and incorporate it as they see fit. And of course the amount of $$$ generated by IB clients that use option trader is miniscule compared to stock traders, where the vast majority of $$$ comes from so they focus on them and leave option traders OCA function is undeniably critical feature that should be there for more experienced option traders that use combo orders, even for those tho can watch the market almost every minute, as we are only human, need lunch, toilets, and in this time things do happen esp in this volatile environment. "Not true. I have numerous option chains open in the Option Trader. " what I meant was option chains open simultaneously. Yes you can have all the tabs open, but can only view one option chain at a time. having more than one option chain open is invaluable to those considering premium for the strikes in different underlyings real time. "That was my problem when I had a low RAM computer. Several years ago I bumped it up with a new one and log in takes less than 30 seconds now. I assume you're not on dial up because that's another foot race in molasses." True, but my computer has plenty of RAM, and internet connection is above average. look at your task bar and you will see how much RAM is used when the software is open, then compare that to another brokers. TOS for eg. When TOS has multiple option chains open simultaneously ( not just the tabs as in IB ), have CNBC live on, have multiple useable charts open (IBs charts are a farce) it still uses about 50% less RAM and computer resources than IB with nothing open. "Commissions are less than $1 per leg. If you cancel orders a lot, you would probably be better off paying a higher flat rate where they eat the cancel fee" spindr0, just check with a calculator, eg if you do one vertical spread (2 legs) on a stock underlying you maybe charged $2.20, that would be $1.10 a leg. though usually it is just < $1 a leg, If you trade index options you will always be charged => $1 per leg
This is a problem with your environment, not IB TWS. How much available RAM and which processor is in your computer?
Not recommended unless IB tech support has endorsed this release. Even minor release changes in Java can reek havok on an application. I've always felt this way about Java: the release the application was COMPILED ON should match the release it is RUNNING. Compile version = runtime version. I could be wrong, but I doubt seriously that Java 7 was the release they used for compiling TWS.