Thought I'd revive this thread. Have been using NT for a few months and really like it but as I am a scalper I am trying out BT from today. So far it looks impressive but complicated. Not a problem if it finally has some advantages over NT. Scientist- are you still using BT and do you still recommend it so highly?
Here's some experience i had with Button Trader. This week i came back from a 2-week holiday. First thing that happened , when i started up BT, was a message that it was out of date, so i had to download a newer version. In the newer version i can't get the quotes for the h4 e-mini contracts. It's supposed to display the symbols that you track in TWS automatically. But even after requesting tickers in BT they do not appear. One trading day wasted on this software crap. So you might as well go for Bracket Trader, in that case you don't have to pay for dealing with the problems that arise from using it.
roberk: Have you tried NinjaTrader V3 yet? It is still in beta version... I haven't yet, but plan on it soon... V77
Have you tried NinjaTrader V3 yet? ============================= 77, Yes, being using it for 2 or 3 weeks. Much better than the earlier version - the dom, stats etc. But have been playing with button trader today and see some advantages there and am going to subscribe to it too. baruch, this thread is about frontends for IB's TWS . So you can probably expect to see some IB users here. What broker do you use? Once my volume increases a little more I might move over to velocity futures and try X-trader.
Probably best if one tries out both ButtonTrader and NinjaTrader. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. If NT does what you want, then it is probably the better choice as it is cheaper and easier to learn. If NT does not, then you will probably like BT. BT is much more flexible than NT, but it is much more expensive and difficult to learn. One thing about NT though that gave BT the edge for me: NT doesn't uses IB's servers to hold attached stop orders. This was the case back in late November 2003. Perhaps more recent or future versions of NT has addressed this. According to the NT developer, this feature is on the list of things to do, but no timetable for when it might go in. Thus, if you computer crashes before the open order is filled, NT will not be able to monitor the position and insert the stop order after being filled. You may have the problem where the open order will be filled, but no stop order will be in place to protect you. -- M
Hey Ditch, sounds like an interesting kind of problem. I'd say could be something like a "user error on ID10T interface" Just kidding. The reality is, if you have any kind of problem, question or suggestion with the program, you can email them, and no matter if you're registered or not, you will generally get an answer / solution somewhere between immediately and less than an hour. No kidding. Try it yourself. And chances are this counts like just about anytime. The amazing thing about this software is that the developer is the organizer, brainstormer, CEO and head programmer all-in-one (much like me when I was in business LOL) - Anyway, the advantage is that if you ask Hoi a question, he will probably already know what the problem is - or find it very very quickly - Because he's written most of that code himself. He knows all the routines, all the functions, and all the glitches. And he's in the office just about 369 days a year, 12h a day or sth like that, programming and replying to emails. And he's still NEVER unfriendly! You really still get the classic Dutch customer treatment here, something that has died in the US of A a long time ago. If IB had a customer service like that - Jesus, they'd own the entire industry. Unfortunately IB is hideously understaffed, full of quants and unfriendly, apparently always disturbed Borg-alike one-of-seven's, and their software has glitches here and there, which Hoi (ButtonTrader) spends a lot of time actually programming his way around - another challenge that I'm quite sure not many here would like to face. Altogether - Would I hype this software? Sure I would! It's the most reliable and functional platform out there for the IB world, and that's what counts. If you don't like all the "features" - fine. Don't use them. I think people on this board should stop wasting their time on politics and opinions, and instead: -> Download platforms (NinjaTrader, ButtonTrader, FuturesTrader, TSim+, BracketTrader etc in no particular order) --> Study & Test Platforms (read manuals!) ---> Test Reliability ----> Test Customer Service -----> Make own conclusion ------> Subscribe to best platform This is the best way to go about evaluating products. It eliminates the power of propaganda, opinion, bias, hype, spam, alterior motives or other agendas. If you want to be really sure, then sorry but this is the only way. There is no 'easy way'. Chances are if you do this with everything else you use too, your life may change dramatically. All of a sudden you might find yourself running FreeBSD or Solaris instead of Windows, WinAmp instead of Win Media Player or, grief knows, MusicMatch, running Athlon instead of Intel, dead-quiet and performance-boosting VapoChill cooling instead of noisy fans, and MoZilla Firebird instead of Internet Explorer, just to name a few. It's up to you. It's your life, not that of llama-ware companies. Be objective, proactive. Make the best out of it. And gates forbid, don't be a llama. Scientist.
Hi Scientist, Like i posted earlier Hoi did a great job solving the problem. I didn't expect that kind of service. The awkward thing is that it was due to a glitch in TWS.