I'm skimming through all the listed software and CANNOT find anything for the Macintosh. Can anybody recommend a good charting software AND real-time data feed for the Mac? (Currently testing ProAnalyst by Trendsoft and MacTrack -- not very good)
InvestorRT by Linnsoft.com They make a version for both Windows and Mac. Both versions have the same features. It's a very good program and very stable. I run the OSX version. The owners are very responsive to suggestions and their customer service is very good. I've tried the other Mac choices and they don't come close to IRT. Even on the Windows side, IRT is very respected. PM me if you want more info. jd
The beesoft programs are Classic apps, not OSX native. This is very old software and will have to run under Classic, which was fine two years ago during the transition to OSX, but not anymore. jd
I'm particularly concerned about any time delay for the streaming data -- as well as chart scaling for the software. Can I expect near-instantaneous real-time quotes on the Mac? Is it available? Can I expect charts that easily zooms in and out for either price range or time track... on the Mac?
Ameritrade's web-based platform is all Java and runs great on my tiBook. It has timeframes down to 1min ticks and some basic indicators. There is also a last trade window which shows every trade and graphs them in 20s (I think) bars.
My data feed for InvestorRT is DTNIQ and it's reliable and as fast as the others out there. No data feed is perfect. eSignal seems to have a better following but IRT doesn't interface with that feed. You can use Dial Data or DTNIQ with IRT. I have the IB TWS running on a powerbook right next to my PowerMac running IRT and the quotes for the ES are within a 1/4 second of each other. I hear PC guys on this forum complain about much higher delays than that with their systems. As far as charts zooming around or whatever it is you need, just download the demo and see for yourself. If you have been using Trendsoft, as I did in the past, I think you will be very happily surprised at the difference. IRT is more expensive but is worth it to me. That's of course your call. There is no question that Linnsoft can and does have many more customers on the PC side. How many traders do you know that use a Mac? There aren't many of us. Maybe it's the chicken and the egg problem. But because one of the owner/developers is also a Mac person as well as a PC guy, he develops for both platforms. There is no compromise by using their Mac version except that you can only use two data feeds where their PC version can use 5. This is because the vendors like eSignal won't make the API that's needed to make IRT-Mac talk to eSignal. It's not Linnsoft's fault. Bottom line for me, I was going to buy a Windows machine right up until I found out about Linnsoft and lnvestorRT. I gotta say fenceguy, that for a Mac user to ask if a Mac can be as good as a Windows machine is a little strange. Are you really a Mac user? If you are someone who uses a Mac you should already know that the OSX platform is as fast or faster than "the other OS". We have a very stable and modern OS. It just works. jd
Jack, thanks for the beesoft info, will delete it from my list. I've used IRT for PC and agree, it's very good .
Banjo, We need all the Mac traders and developers we can get, no doubt. But I think this guy at beesoft needs to update his software. I don't care which platform you program for, you need to be up-to-date with the latest OS. And on the Mac side, the OSX versions of software run so much better than old OS 9 apps. Why wait? If beesoft would make an OSX version for real time trading and it works well, I certainly would take a look at it. Competition is a very good thing jd