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The following is a statement that is not in favor of Bob Brickey so if that
would offend you then do not read. If you are considering TradeLab you
should read this, I will try and make it as factual as I can without
involving my emotions.
I went to Utah to meet Bob Brickey and attend the class on Visual Basic. I
paid good money and my time to go and I seldom travel anywhere. Bob was ill
prepared and the resounding comments from everyone was that the program was
represented to be further along in development than it actually was. I can
safely say that you will not hear one of the 25+ attendees most who are on
this list tell you any different. Bob was a lousy teacher and TradeLab
continually crashed as he demonstrated. The material that Bob give us was
of an elementary level, and I was completely disappointed. Most there
wanted me to confront Bob and ask for our money back "this was on the first
day of the class". If this is not all completely true then please those
who were there come to Bob's defense and tell different. Why am I doing
this?
Well Bob flim flammed us all! Now I believe he is getting bolder about his
very well orchestrated scam job. Dont get me wrong Bob is extremely
intelligent, but I believe he has no conscience at all! He knew full well
on the second day of the class that we were all sorely disappointed, he
should have had the decency to offer a partial refund for the fiasco. To
this date even though others have asked he has not refunded any money. I
believe that now that he has gotten away with it the first time. He has
become more dangerous this second time around. He is holding out a carrot
using the SciLab list and the promise of becoming successful at trading as a
sales tool. To make you want to purchase a beta copy of a half finished
program. If you read very carefully Bob's post you will see that he is
covering his rights to non performance. I have every belief that Bob
Brickey is no more than a Bill Cruz clone, but much more seductive. I
believe that he will continue to lead you all on with false promises and
play on your greed. Bob's post is timed so that you will spend money with
him prior to the TradeStation 2000 release Feb. 22. While It's no secret I
hate Bill Cruz, I would have to caution that given a choice of buying the TS
2000 upgrade or getting involved with Bob Brickey. I would give my money to
Omega. It would certainly be worth waiting to see how TradeLab pans out. I
have seen these tactics before where Bob is pressuring you into making a
decision to purchase the Beta of TradeLab now. If he were honest he would
not set such a deadline, think about it. He would not hold his mailing list
as a hostage, with those special words that make you feel like you will be
part of an elite club. Thats all bull and hype. I have not been wrong
about anyone who I have exposed on the internet, and I am not wrong this
time. Bob has tasted blood and now he is going in for the kill. As he
drags out the Beta and cry's about how difficult this bug fix is and that
and that bug fix is. He is actually getting you to finance in advance his
entire operation. Bob is the drag master, at least Omega just ignores us.
Bob has promised and not delivered and now wants you to advance him money
for a beta which should be free. I see the same pattern here as I have seen
for years, just an better educated man doing it. In the upcoming year as
you waste time and money on TradeLab I wish you well and leave you with a
closing thought. None of the disgruntled participants of the Utah trip were
invited to Beat test TradLab "and there were some real pro's there". Bob
knew and still knows that 100% of those who attended agreed Bob did not
deliver even half of what he promised "in fact even the disk he handed out
at the meeting didn't work"! How Bob has not the conscious to offer the
participants who paid to go to Utah a free Beta of TradeLab speaks of this
mans integrity. Now he has the guts to ask us to pay for a Beta and pay the
same cost as anyone else. This alone should set off a red flag. After I
exposed the fact that there were in fact no beta testers, he has regrouped
and come out with this new angle. I would only pay Bob money when he has a
finished product and I have heard that it is working properly from others.
That is my warning.
Bob, lets see how honest you are! You supply me with a beta and I will do a
fair job of testing and reporting bugs ect. I have been one of your
biggest allies in the past and only after the lie about your Beta 1 did I
expose you. If you have a honest bone in you would offer the Utah gang all
a free beta. They all came in good faith to follow your dream and you
pissed on us all. Now do the right thing and maybe you wont wind up having
a reputation like Bill Cruz!
If nothing else all of you should at least look at a program which I have
been enjoying for the past few weeks. Earl Adamy whom I respect has
recommended this program in the past and I continually refused to look at it
because it is a per month rented program. I finally broke down and tested
it. I like it very much and it is very powerful, more so than TS! It has
the best mail list support I have ever seen and I am amazed at some of the
powerful scans it perform on you entire data collection. It would be worth
your time to check it out.
EnsignList - http://www.ensignsoftware.com
All of the opinions above are my own and do reflect the opinions of any of
my partners and associates etc..
Mark Brown
Mail Lists
----------
The new mail list hardware and software mentioned last month has been
installed. The TradeLab list is back in operation. Information about
some changes in list operation will be sent in separate messages over the
next few days to reduce the length of this message.
Two related mail list servers also are operating. They are SciLink and
TLBeta. The SciLink list will be used to discuss sophisticated market
analysis, price prediction, and trading methods with TradeLab program
users. More information about the SciLink list will be posted separately
within the next few days to reduce the length of this message.
The TLBeta list will be used to communicate with Beta testers.
Beta 1 Testing
--------------
Beta Version 1.0 Build 6 was released Tuesday. It corrects most of the
problems found by testers and by us in Build 5. More information about
Beta 1 testing and problems that have been found will be sent separately
to reduce the length of this message.
Beta 2 Testing
--------------
A primary purpose of Beta 1 testing was to find whether TradeLab could be
installed on multiple computers without serious setup problems. Some
setup problems were found. They will be explained in the separate post
about Beta 1 testing.
Those problems have been corrected. We are confident now that TradeLab
can be installed on a large number of computers without serious problems.
Many important capabilities still haven't been beta tested. Much more
testing needs to be done. Beta 2 test software will ship Friday, February
19th, to those who want to participate in that testing.
Many people already have asked to be Beta 2 testers. They will have
priority in our selection process. However, we can use a few more, so it
isn't too late to join in. I will explain how to apply further below.
More details about the testing that will be accomplished in this next
phase will be sent separately to reduce the length of this message.
License Fees
------------
License fees for the TradeStation/SuperCharts add-on modules listed on our
web site in the past total $3245. A Visual Basic User Program Interface
and other code needed to make TradeLab a self-running program are not
included in that amount.
All those capabilities, except a few unique to use with TradeStation, will
be in the final product. Some are enabled in the current beta test build.
Others will be enabled during Beta 2 testing, as we are ready to test them
and correct problems that are found.
If testing was finished and we were going to charge a single license fee
up front, it would be $3500. However, testing is not finished and we
don't plan to charge a full fee up front.
Inexpensive software usually is licensed for single, full-cost fees.
Licensees generally receive whatever a licensed version includes, plus
limited technical support for a short time. Bug fixes usually are free.
Upgrades are optional at extra cost.
That model works well for inexpensive software. It is not as appropriate
for expensive software. Expensive software often is licensed instead on a
service fee basis, because that plan provides important advantages to both
software developers and users.
If someone pays a full amount initially, they risk a large loss if they
don't like the software. They may be able to get a refund where software
is returned soon after receipt, but aspects they do not like may not be
apparent at first in a complex product. Furthermore, a large initial fee
can be more difficult to pay than small service fees over time.
There is another important consideration. Software developers who make
full charges initially look at new and existing customers differently.
New customers bring new revenue. Existing customers provide little or no
revenue and are expensive to support. It is not surprising to find as
much as possible being spent on finding new customers and as little as
possible being spent on the needs of existing customers.
The service fee plan shifts the self-interest of developers by shifting
their primary source of income. New customers bring only small initial
fees. Most income comes from existing customers. That income continues
only as long as existing customers are satisfied. That gives developers a
strong incentive to keep existing customers satisfied and less incentive
to spend everything possible in a continual search for new customers.
There are other important considerations. Someone who licenses a typical
inexpensive program may have a question or two at first, but they rarely
need much help after that. In contrast, users of highly-programmable
products often have many questions into the future as they try to do a
variety of things they, and possibly no one else, has ever done before.
The cost of supporting users of products like that over the long term is
immense. That especially is true where they are not experienced
programmers or highly trained in the mathematics underlying problems they
are trying to solve.
No matter what support a supplier promises to provide under those
conditions, it isn't economically feasible to provide long-term support
without service fees. Microsoft charges $195 per hour for support
provided by a programmer, rather than someone trained to look for answers
in a frequently asked question database. That rate is typical of the
rates commonly charged to support professional products. Users want
professional help, but software developers can't license a trading product
like I am discussing for a typical single fee and then help customers with
complex applications of that product for years.
These are good reasons to use a service fee plan. However, there are two
offsetting considerations.
Software cannot be used after someone stops paying service fees. That
might not matter in some applications, but a trader who has developed user
programs for TradeLab will not want to be in the position of having to
continue paying fees to use them.
The software business is different than most in that product development
cost is high and the unit cost of production is low. Someone
manufacturing hardware products usually has to fund material and labor
costs during manufacturing, but they generally do not have to fund all the
units they ever will sell before selling the first one.
The high costs and long development times required to create software
causes developers to want to collect full fees up front, so those costs
can be repaid as soon as possible. That is an important reason the
service fee plan is not more common.
We have weighed these considerations in deciding what to do. We also have
considered opinions about these issues that have been expressed in private
discussions with members of this list. We have decided the best plan is a
compromise that provides some advantages of both while reducing the
disadvantages.
We have decided to set an initial fee that is half the amount a single fee
would be and on-going service fees that are half the amount they would be
without an initial fee. On that basis we can allow licensees to continue
using TradeLab if they stop paying service fees. They will lose product
support. They will not receive further upgrades, but they can continue
using whatever they have at that time.
Those who continue paying service fees will receive all TradeLab upgrades
that are released without additional cost. They also will have access to
the SciLink mail list, where advanced methods will be explained and
discussed, and TradeLab application examples will be provided. They also
will have access to password-protected web pages and a password-protected
FTP site where related materials will be posted.
SciLink discussions will be similar to discussions on the former SciLink
list a couple years ago. Few members had software to implement the market
analysis and trading methods discussed at that time. Everyone on the new
SciLink list will have TradeLab. That will make the discussions even more
interesting.
Many former SciLink members are on this list. They will know what I am
describing. However, others will know little or nothing about SciLink.
More information about SciLink will be sent separately within the next few
days to reduce the size of this message. Former SciLink members are
welcome to provide additional explanations and comments if they want.
SciLink will be important, because TradeLab has been designed for
experienced traders who want to go far beyond where most traders go,
rather than for beginners who will blow their accounts in a few weeks and
move on to something else.
Other firms already have that market. We have no interest in it. If we
did, we would want to collect full fees up front and then hope users would
not take too long to discover the truth about their fantasies, so we
wouldn't have to keep supporting them.
We want users to benefit from TradeLab. To benefit, they must use methods
based on sound principles that are relatively unknown to most traders.
Most users will need help accomplishing that. Some may never accomplish
it even with help, but help will make it more likely.
We will not generally provide trading systems on SciLink, though some may
be shown as learning examples. What we will provide is explanation and
discussion of fundamental principles essential to the development of
successful trading methods. (We will explain how to fish, rather than
provide fish.) That is important, because everyone cannot win using the
same method. Each participant should develop their own unique method or
methods based on what they already know and what they will learn.
Because SciLink discussions will be important to the success of most
users, SciLink membership is being bundled with the software license fee.
Membership will be restricted without exception to TradeLab licensees.
Certain TradeLab capabilities will be disabled at various times during
Beta 2 testing to facilitate testing and problem solving. Because of
that, and because we will be busy correcting problems testers find, we
will not regularly participate on SciLink until the final product is
released. However, the SciLink list server is running now and Beta 2
testers will be welcome to use it during the test period.
This will be the fee schedule when the final product is released:
1. Users will pay an initial software license fee $1750.
2. They will pay quarterly service fees of $150 ($50 per month)
that will include:
A. Compensation for the reduced initial fee;
B. SciLink membership; and
C. All TradeLab software upgrades as they are released
without additional charge.
Users will be free to discontinue paying quarterly service fees and keep
what they have at that point. They will not receive further software
upgrades. They will lose SciLink membership. Technical support will be
available after that only at an hourly rate.
As stated before, much more testing needs to be done before the final
product is released. We need testers to do that. Because we need their
help, those willing to test will receive the following special
consideration:
1. The initial license fee will be discounted $750, making it
only $1000.
2. Testers will receive technical support during the test period
on the TLBeta list. However, quarterly license fees will not
begin until the final product is released.
3. Testers will have the opportunity to be part of an on-going
engineering advisory group that will recommend improvements
for new releases.
4. Testers will receive advance information about changes in new
releases and they will be given the opportunity to test and
evaluate new releases before they are released to other users.
A Beta Test application form has been posted at:
http://www.sciapp.com/tradelab/beta.html
It asks questions that will help us determine how the services of those
interested can be best utilized. (Those who know Visual Basic well are
better suited to testing user programming, for instance, while others can
be more productive focusing on other aspects of the product, etc.)
Everyone interested should submit that from, whether they already are on
our list of testers or not, so we can have the benefit of that information
in making decisions.
Applications will be accepted on the basis stated above through Monday,
February 15th. Software will ship Friday, February 19th, to those who
apply and are accepted by that date.
The testers will perform a function that will be very important to the
success of the product and to its value to other users. They will be
trusted with certain inside information. Because of that, we reserve the
right to exclude anyone we think is unqualified to serve in that capacity.
Supplemental Information Mentioned Above
----------------------------------------
The supplemental information about the mail lists and beta testing that
was mentioned above will be posted at various times over the next few
days. We wanted everyone to read this, before reading that information,
so it would be in proper context.
-Bob Brickey
Scientific Approaches
sci@xxxxxxxxxx
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