Which version works best in the long run , standalone, or web-based TWS. I have a fast cable connection. IB site seems to push the browser-based TWS as the best one. tia
most people use the stand alone version i believe. It comes with its usual lot of bugs though, the web version *may* be more up to date and more quickly fixed but I would guess it is used for testing betas and you and your account are the guinea pigs
Web-based is a misnomer. The web-based TWS is loaded on your machine and runs under Java on your machine. The difference between it and the "downloaded" version is that the web-based version automatically updates if it detects a newer version on the IB server when you log in. The advantages to IB - You always have the latest version. You beta test their latest version. The advantages to you- The web version, more often than not, has fixed the most egregious bugs introduced in the previous version. You get the latest features of the TWS. You get to be a beta tester without even having to sign a non-disclosure agreement. You get to report bugs with no feedback from IB. The web-based version generally becomes the downloadable version after most of the known bugs are fixed. Every so often, it is so bad it does not become downloadable, the next version does. I generally stay with the downloaded version and use the web-based on my paper trading account if there is a new feature I'd like to try. Jack
Great responses, now I know what to do. Many thanks. One more question -- if you use QT for your charts, you minimize TWS? And if so, you use integrated trading through QT? Or is that slower than using TWS straight? Also is IB data feed good enough, or do you need to use E-siggy or IQ feed.
If you need a ton of historical data, then grab a 3rd party, if not, IB is fine. After all you order entries will be based on IB's Order entry server anyway. I use IB's data exclusively and do just fine.... I never need more than 6 months worth of Data