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At 12:11 PM 9/12/98 -0700, Jim Osborn wrote:
<snip>
>Allan, can you point me to a copy of the spec for the UMDS?
>It does sound like one of the better starting points.
>I've heard something to the effect that current versions of
>UMDS have certain weaknesses in handling historical data,
>but that Kent is working to fix those weaknesses. I'd be
>able to comment more intelligently about that if I could read
>a real spec.
>
>I understand UMDS has three fatal weaknesses as far as I'm concerned:
>
>1: It doesn't allow the importation of custom data into its
> realtime database. Same weakness as Omega's server. I've
> found a workaround for this problem in TS 3.5, but that
> workaround isn't practical for TS 4.0. Who knows about TS 5.0?
>
>2: It doesn't work on any computer that's connected in any way
> to any network. This means I couldn't use it on my computer
> that's networked with my wife's computer, even though our
> activities are totally unrelated, except we share resources
> like printers, backup devices, etc.
>
>3: It doesn't run on Linux. How can any software be considered
> "open" if it requires the use of a Microsoft product?
> Aside from the proprietary nature of the MS environment, I
> consider my trading workstation to be "mission critical" and
> no MS operating system meets that criterion.
>
>Jim
Jim:
The URL for UMDS is
http://www.uniserv.com/
and it has a link to the Version 3 specs.
I believe Version 3 addresses your point 1 in that it will allow
importation of historical data (both tick and EOD).
Your point 2 is not quite correct. I use UMDS on an exclusive trading
machine that is networked to a LAN. The restriction is that it will close
any network connection in the same program space as itself. Thus, you
cannot network data directly from the universal server. However, any
network function from any other program space works just fine.
I think your point 3 is correct; I don't know Kent's plans, if any, for
Linux. I agree with you that it would be nice if it were supported.
I'm currently using UMDS as an SDK licensee. I have my own proprietary
trading system that runs with it. I guess I've done what OM is always
lecturing about; if you don't like the software, write your own. However,
this was done as a matter of necessity. It does what I need it to do (and
what TradeStation and the Omega Server couldn't do - and that's not Omega
bashing, it's reality). However, I much prefer to devote my efforts to
trading system design and not have to do trading system infrastructure
maintenance. Thus, when the platform that allows me to do that comes along
(be it TradeLab, TS5 or whatever), I'll happily move to it.
Allan
"It is the will of God that we must have critics and missionaries and
congressmen and humorists, and we must bear the burden" - Mark Twain
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