To OpenQuant, I've put this posting on ET rather than on the OpenQuant (OQ) forum b/c I rarely get a response there. My question to OQ is the following: What are the advantages/disadvantages to using TTAPI versus TTFIX? Since I've found the OQ support to be dismal I was wondering if using OQ with TTAPI would enable me to just use the OQ library w/o having to use the OQ platform itself. Is this possible? That way I wouldn't have to deal with platform problems on the forum. FWIW, I have an OQ license but I've had to shelve it for now b/c I can't get any support from OQ. In fact, I've been waiting since June for the answers to 3 questions I posted there. In that time I've also purchased a NinjaTrader (NT) license and I'm running strategies live on NT currently. Having said that, since I paid for OQ, I'd like to be able to use it. -Lou
Is this a question to OpenQuant or to TT or TT enabled broker like VelcoityFutures? The answer would depend on your needs, trading infrastructure, broker commission schedule, TT license you own and so on. Regards, Anton
As for the support issue, I would agree with you that we have provided a pretty poor support in the beginning of this summer due to vacations and business travelling. Now we are back to office and I think you have already noticed that we currently answer (well, try to answer as least) every new post within a few hours (depending on the time zone). So perhaps it's a good idea to re-send your support questions instead of calling international peacekeeping forces ? Cheers, Anton
Interesting....a developer friend of mine and I were discussing this very topic of "open source" software the other day. Our conclusion: lack of support and / or documentation is making the idea less and less appealing vs. licensed/paid-for software.
Well, try to get support from MS and you will find that you are entitled in one phone call to support desk with your VisualStudio license... Seriousely speaking you need to have a guaranteed support contract with well defined maximum response time, penaltee fees, etc. It's quite common in the financial industry that you may pay more for support contract than for the software itself. OQ, NT and other retail software doesn't come with any guaranteed level of support (perhaps one phone call or "on the best effort basis") so basically any response from OQ, NT or open sources software like QuickFIX is based on the same principles and a good will to help users (or a will to get more money ). You can argue that if OQ or NT doesn't answer you, then you can send an angry post to ET and these guys will get no new customers, so that it's in their own interst to support you. Yes, indeed, but this is not a replacement for a support contract and it's the same as in open source projects - you don't get any new users if your board is not active and you don't reply to questions. Regards, Anton
OpenQuant is anything but "open source" AFAIK. The naming is clearly a marketing tactic designed to draw people to the product and to jump on the open source bandwagon... OpenQuant is allegedly a cut down version of the former QuantDeveloper product that I believe was bought by another company Quant House. This product has a quite a long history now...any search on these forums for Anton and SmartQuant will show how long it has been around.
TTAPI versus TTFIX: Surely this is a question for TT not OQ? As for using the library without the platform, I'm 99% certain you can e.g. you can leverage the provider and instrument stuff - but you'll probably have to re-write a bunch of code that is currently part of the platform. However, I'm just guessing based on a trial experience with OQ a while ago...
Protocol and Broker Infrastructure. If you are familiar with FIX and your broker supports it.. run with it. If you are a developer accustomed to API run with TTAPI. If you are a user looking to autotrade a system through Excel use TT's XTAPI Add in. X-Trader is pretty versatile with its interfaces but mostly depends on your broker and needs. May want to take a look at RightEdge and OpenEcry. Also very robust tools for developing trading systems.
Thank you everyone for your responses. NinjaTrader will do for now. Once RightEdge comes out with their "data-on-demand" feature in the next product release I may take a closer look there. Unless I can't find an alternative it's unlikely that I'll be using my OQ license anytime soon. OQ dropping customer support for the Summer for travel/vacations just isn't an acceptable answer for me. Thx, Lou