Such an option has already appeared) I believe that paying $25 a month and not paying for transactions is normal. If you're interested, check out Exfor. As far as I remember, two months are given for free to work on the platform. All financial transactions are insured. The leverage is 1:100. But, if desired, you can do less. Adjust the amount.
Tradestation, eSignal originally but today is a custom hedge fund platform have access to, life is simpler with algos doing 99% of the work.
Yes it is (or was) Bonneville Market Information. I used it circa '86 using hand drawn charts. Then I graduated to Ensign software. I think Ensign connected to the BMI terminal. Ensign used EGA graphics Which were terible compared to VGA but way better than paper and pencil. After I made some cash I moved to CQG with a dish on the roof. Fun times, but I wouldn't want to do it again. It's so much easier now.
Using MS Excel and doing Multi-strategy / Portable Alpha / Return Stacking. These days I don't see my self as a trader, more a portfolio manager as 90% of my "trading" is not actually active trading but other stuff.
Return Stacking is then you stack two or more return streams on top of each other using Portfolio Margin or a credit line from a Prime Brokerage. These parts could be passive beta, treasuries, discretionary strategies, systematic strategies, hedging strategies, etc. Example, buying 100% exposure of zero-coupon T-bills yielding 5% and buying 100% exposure of S&P 500 through the ES future. Now your annualised return will be that of Asset A + Asset B. This is a simple example, in reality different pieces got different allocations weights of capital. Portable Alpha is then you isolate the alpha component of a portfolio or strategy. You get rid of the beta and are left with only the alpha. This can then be ported out if one likes.
Now I'm flipping through the website of this company. An interesting suggestion. And I also like the fact that 2 months are free. I will try to work with them. Thank you for the information!