So your problem is with java as opposed to learning to use the application. i think you are mistaken. you may want to look at these sites before stating java is slow: http://www.theserverside.com/news/thread.tss?thread_id=25743 http://www.adahome.com/History/Steelman/steeltab.htm http://www.idiom.com/~zilla/Computer/javaCbenchmark.html I particularly like this quote from one of the studies... "Together these suggest that it is possible that no amount of data will alter peoples' beliefs, and that in actuality these "speed beliefs" probably have little to do with java, garbage collection, or the otherwise stated subject. Our answer probably lies somewhere in sociology or psychology. Programmers, despite their professed appreciation of logical thought, are not immune to a kind of mythology, though these particular "myths" are arbitrary and relatively harmless."
Def, there only 2 reason people use java based programming period. 1. Its much cheaper and every kid can make it. 2. update time formating for online. The problem with the second is that its so slow and sticky , no one real uses it.. Hay Im sure plenty of websites have it, hell I have it on the front page of 9 of my sites, but has a entry page and nothing else. If they scripted this in real programing code it would be much supperior. Lets face the fact the system your sitting on right now is not running much for java except for some web sites you go to. Maybe this is why Microsoft and Java have had fights for years. Oh and I wont mention the EXTREME security flaws thay exsist in all Java programing, that again is why ebay left it. they got tired of all the kids from romainia pulling there chains. The only way I can say try the difference is try a real platform such as scottrade ELITE, not there online jave based either it to is slow. But the Eleite program and compare. Goodluck
Be it an erroneous belief or mere stupidity, who's to say? But as an aspiring trader of tomorrow who has been grinding away just to keep alive for the last 5 years, I wonder if cosmetic makeover has any real value in my bottom-line. Hell, I'll trade via ANY platform if it can consistently spit out profits. But then again, being creatures of habit, we can't handle such a change of fortune, or can we? My 2-cents contribution as ordained to be another bullshit is that I also think IB's interface sucks in comparison to, say, Cybertrader (which I plan to swap for IB in the not-too-distant-future). BUT here's the caveat: while it looks primitive by any standard, its functions are so complicated (overblown?) to exacerbate my otherwise fragile sanity. For instance, when you input a stock symbol, you need to choose among stock, options, futures, & what not, after which you must confirm the entry before "transmitting" the order (to the effect of pressing "T"--I forget which). And since I haven't yet funded my account, I can't access their charts (nor is the feature available on the demo account). From what other posters indicated, I figure it's not worth my time even speculating how bad it is. It only makes sense for any prospective trader to kick the tire before driving, and other pursuits, but the benefit I derived from such experience as yet haven't outweighed the expense of eye strains I incurred in the process of learning. This in no way detracts from by belief that IB provides one of the better services in the industry--so I'm told.
i am refering to customer service which includes customer chat and tws manual which need improvement but is getting better. trade busts seems to be an issue as a result of nasdaq incompetency with IB caught in the middle and maybe bearing some partial blame.
def, you can believe 'those sites', or you can believe your own eyes and tests. the simple fact is, that java+tws IS hugely bloated and EATS cpu resources. all you have to do is run task-manager and check the processes while tws is running. on a 650mhz P3 laptop running win2k, it -commonly- pegs the cpu-resource; and i can't -believe- how much RAM it sucks. 50 megabytes ?? give me a break... Scottrade is a POS broker compared to IB, but I -have- run Elite, and it IS smaller and faster.....VASTLY smaller (3mb as I recall) and FAR faster (far lower cpu overhead). I have no idea what it was coded in, and I don't care; but there's no doubt about the speed/size facts...I've run them both, on the same platform, doing the same tasks. I don't expect IB to re-code standalone-TWS (altho it'd be a godsend for laptop/off-grid clients), and I doubt you have that project underway; but at least be realistic about the bloat and cpu-consumption of the java-engine.