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Linux is great for servers. It is not great for workstations. I am a huge fan of Linux and run multiple Debian boxes. I tried to make Linux my primary workstation many, many times over the years. It never works out.
All the platforms are for Windows because all the traders are using Windows. If you want something else, you pretty much will need to code it yourself. Trash talking Windows is a hobby, trading is a profession.
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Please create a new thread to continue this. This topic seems to have absolutely nothing to do with this thread topic and should not be in this thread.
The big guys can use linux, while the man power and the experience permit this...
- Few highly qualified people look after many (similar) systems IT.
"amateurs"/"desktops", many people without any IT experience and without any interest of self find a "technical" problem solution well have a nice colored out of the box system
- Many unqualified people pursue many different configurations IT and all periphery manufacturers deliver primarily only Windows driver. The will to own driver's search / configuration does not exist with the mass.
-> On the desktop for software suited for mass Windows is currently without a alternate. Not because it is the better system, it needs more, however, only down certified Support... this is cheaper in the mass like highly qualified Linuxsupport!
-> Linux could be also shifted too many possible set options in the problem case. Microsoft leaves for many years him to hide possibly more and more options. Topical Windows-standard installations are better for the Support and by the installation of own software to foresee.
=> The topically only two Linux suited for mass versions are Android and Mac. These are closed systems, only there it is possible with to expel defensible support, software suited for mass.
=> It is worthwhile commercially currently not for Linux in the desktop area to develop. Windows software has here the bigger market potential and brings more thus money.
Please create a new thread to continue this. This topic seems to have absolutely nothing to do with this thread topic and should not be in this thread.
I have exactly the same issue. I suspect the lost connection handling in Ninja/Zen is sometimes too sensitive. Like you, I've given up trying to sort it out.
Hi guys, his is a history of my experience with ninjatrader so far:
Iteration 1. Used Ninjatrader 6.5 with the following:
(a) Dual core 3.6 ghz Dell
(b) 4 gb RAM
(c) gforce graphics card - 2 x 24 inch screens,
(d) Windows XP
(e) Zenfire
Result: Endless crashes, out of memory errors, broker disconnections, backtesting crashes, market replay crashes, charts very slow to load, too unstable to trade live. Started looking around for another product.
Note, PC had no problems with Think or Swim, TD Ameritrade strategy desk, lightspeed or Interactive Brokers which I actively used to trade stocks.
Iteration 2. Ninjatrader 7
Due to endless problems with 6.5 I upgraded to 7 in beta form to see if that was any better. Also upgraded hardware to:
(a) Alienware Quad core I7 3.6 ghz
(b) 4 gb RAM
(c) 2 x gforce graphics card - 4 x 24 inch screens
(d) Windows Vista 32 bit
Result: Immediately more stable, faster charts, still a number of frustrating freezes overnight on broker disconnection, Charts overall much faster to load although could be frozen by adding too many workspaces and indicators. Workspaces were also corrupted often. Memory often exhausted and caching to disk sometimes caused the system to come to a standstill.
System continued to became more stable overtime as Ninjatrader applied patches and upgrades. Given the significant improvement of Ninjatrader 7 compared to 6.5 I decided to stay with the product as I enjoyed learning and applying basic programming skills. Market replay and backtesting were faster but still crashed often.
During this period I continued to put live futures trades through IB.
Iteration 3 - Hardware added
(a) Added another 4 gb of RAM for a total of 8 gb
(b) Upgraded to multihead video cards
(c) added 4 more 24 inch screens for 8 screens
(d) Upgraded to Windows 7 64 bit
(e) added another quad core alienware 12 gb as a separate backtesting, market replay and stock trading machine.
Result: A further improvement in all areas. Loading up Ninjatrader on 8 large screens with multiple indicators on multiple workspaces and charts the product was very stable. I am convinced the biggest improvement was the additional 4gb of ram. When I monitored memory usage through process explorer caching has not been noticed.
Still frustrating freezes overnight from broker disconnections. As I hold swing trades overnight or a few days through IB these disconnections made Ninjatrader a non-starter until I understood this issue in more detail.
(a) Applied Windows 7 updates.
(b) Optimized charts/workspaces, removed junk.
(c) Added IB Controller start so IB would not shut down (only reason)
Result: For some reason I had set Windows 7 updates set to "off". Once I installed all of the upgrades for some reason overnight disconnections stopped completely. I was running over 100 charts across 8 screens and 3 workspaces with some charts having 30 days in history with fairly CPU intensive indicators. Sometimes the system got a little slow when the market was moving quite fast.
Read some of @Zondors posts about poorly written code. I started removing unnecessary indicators, shortening history on charts and some of the junk code I wrote. No longer any problems with slow downs during fast markets periods. Used to think it was Zenfire but now believe it was hardware related. I also reduced my charts to about 30 critical trading charts.
Current situation:Ninja trader has been stable over 2 months without a single freeze or problem, no corrupt workspaces, no need to reset the database, running 24 hours a day 7 days a week on 8 x 24 inch screens with fairly demanding workspaces and fairly hardware intensive indicators. Very rarely I will get a zenfire or IB disconnection but only lasts a few seconds if I do.
The other quad core PC runs on market replay 24 x 7 testing strategies etc. Market replay although slow to load very rarely crashes.
Recently I tested ninjatrader on my old dual core 4gb machine and had no crashes although never pushed it hard. This was on a single screen and 8 charts running. My deduction there is the patches and upgrades ninja applied since the beta release has increased its stability.
User requirements (based on my experience only):
(a) Users who use a single screen and minimal charts and indicators and trade one or two instruments
Dual core 4 gb ram preferably 8 gb to be safe.
Windows 64
(b) Users who have use multiple screens and charts and/or workspaces, complex hardware sucking indicators/trading multiple instruments.
To run Ninjatrader
Quad core PC with 8 gb of RAM
Windows 64 bit.
Note I tried the other Quad core 12gb machine as a trading machine and noticed no improvement over the 8gb.
I am buying 32gb memory now for a machine and it costs me about 300 USD or so - ridiculous cheap. There is no reason not to max out memory on a motherboard these days, at least for workstations (server boards supporting hundreds of gigabytes is another story).
the ninjatrader is a good tool. i was successful using it for 32 days. ninjatrader is an excellent company providing the best support in the industry. ninjatrader is extremely well managed allowing a dissatisfied customer to return the software. this great company paid my multibroker license fee of 1495.- back after 32 days. i had no issues with the ninjatrader except:
- that is crashed repeatedly, i hat do restart it often and it disconnected from broker data fees (i had 5 connected at the same time). ninjatrader offered me support. i declined and returned the software.
you will find many people here on this user group who use the ninjatrader every day without any glitches.
you will also find many people like the treatstarter, who run an instable nt system.
my background is 20 years of software sales. i have sold trading software to the largest trading floors in london, frankfurt, milan and other cities in europe a long time ago. noone of those used a windows system. everyone would have considered it absurd to use windows for trading. we sold our trading infrastructure on unix only, most systems were sold on sun solaris.
linux comes from unix. unlike unix it was developped by individuals all over the world. that is why it had many bugs at the beginning.
today in 2012 linux has come a long way.
i am using linux for trading without any glitches on a small laptop:
- ib tws runs on linux without restart (ibcontroller), fast and efficient. it is a good solution for me, cheap, good support, everything possible(currency conversion, trading, stocks, ach in and out) nothing in the world can beat that for a retail investor. i had used the nt with ib. i could use it in win7 only. i agree that it is a little bit easier to enter orders in it but i like the graphics in ib better. after returning the nt i can use ib in linux. i enter trail stop limit orders and oco. i do not need the nt to do that. even when i have a power outage, my orders will be executed.
-qst runs on linux. it is stable, does not crash and has no bugs(yet). i love it, i find it superior to nt and sierrachart
this is the TRUTH ABOUT NT: it is a good tool but it does not work for everyone
Hi, that is impressive for sure although would doubt anywhere near that will be used to run Ninjatrader. I've run 8 strategies on this machine with only 8gb and have yet to run out. I guess the point is you do not really need state of the art and expensive hardware to run ninjatrader. Quad core PCs are cheap now and as you say memory is dirt cheap.