Is execution speed really that slow? I met with a few TS7 users, and they were raving about how fast the executions are
Elindy- THanks for the review and your opinions. However, I feel compelled to point out that there were quite a few statements that you made about TS6 and TS7 that are simply not true. I don't have time to list them all here, however as a 2 yr. user of Tradestation I can vouch for a number of things. Namely, not all of the data from TS is kept on their servers. I have quite a bit downloaded and saved on my HDD and backed-up on DVD-R discs. Also, your CAN annotate charts and it DOES save it for you to view over even after you close the chart. Not sure what you are doing wrong here, for it not to save. Also, the "slow" down or "lag" in quotes that you claim to witness at certain market times. This is not a function of the program but rather your Internet connection. On a T1 or VHS_DSL line you will not have this problem. I could go on about over claims you made in the review. I still think it is a good review and am glad to see someone taking time to share their thoughts and experience with TS6 and 7. However, as a loyal user I hate to see people getting the wrong impression or take your word as the gospel on TS6,7.x I'm sure that any real trader that is truley interested in the software will sign up for a trial and check it out for themselves. cheers- momo
momo: I tried to be as honest and as objective as I can within the confines of my experience with the package. To address your comments: 1. Yes - you are correct about being able to save more history than tradestation has on it's servers. However, it's not normal operation of the product (no menu options to support it) and, I believe, not officially supported by tradestation as a software feature. I can't tell you how many times I've been told to delete my data cache files and I've read the same thing many times on TSworld during attempts to trouble shoot users' issues. Of course, when you do that, you do get rid of your history (or have to restore from backup to retrieve it). The product was designed to use the data on the server and it's marketed that way - so much so that there is no mechanism to import your own data. The cache files are there to speed up operations, reduce server load and allow you to function when you're not connected to the net. 2. My connection to the net is a DSL with a cable backup. The DSL is 7.1 megabits down and 1.5 up - the fastest I can get. The slowdowns are not related to my connection to the net, the speed of my computers or the number of apps I'm running. Through normal debugging I've systematically eliminated those variables over time. Also, if that was the case, my other datafeed should be delaying as well which is not the case. 3. Regarding annotating, I'm not sure how you do what you're able to do. If I annotate a chart using text objects, close that chart window, open a new window and pull up the same chart - the anotations are gone - as are all the other user graphic objects. I haven't found a setting that controls this - if you know of one please let me know - I sure can use it! 4. I hope people aren't taking my word as Gospel on Tradestation <grin>. The comments I made are the kind I wish I could read about other products - it would save me a lot of time running trials of products. But, like I said, I sure don't expect folks to take them as Gospel - as with all the reviews here on elite trader, these reflect personal experiences with the product. Besides, I'm sure someone will eventually write another one that will provide another perspective. Sincerely, -eLindy
Fast_Trader: It's not the executions that are slow, it's the quotes that can lag sometimes. Once the order is in, it's probably filled (on average) as fast as at any other on-line broker. But, if you've got a delay in your quotes and you're trying to hit the bid or take the offer, you can easily find yourself a very unhappy camper. Note: According to the latest bulletins, Tradestation has committed to fixing this issue in May 2003 for Futures so this may be a moot point in a few weeks. Sorry 'bout the late response to your question but I haven't been monitoring this thread - I didn't expect there to be a lot of activity on it since I only started it as a placeholder for the word document. -eLindy
You have the solution to the annotations problem. Dont close that particular chart window. Why would you close a window then open another and pull up the same chart? Settings are retained as long as that chart window remains open. mktman