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>>from: Giovanni Pugliese
>> QA Server Test Lead
>> Omega Research, inc.
>>First, the reasoning behind using the data manager was an attempt at
>>addressing issues of connectivity with either the BMI or Signal box making
>>this easier for our users. With TradeStation version 4, many of our
>>technical support calls were focused on problems connecting to the BMI
>>receiver or the Signal receiver because of comport communications problems.
>>We addressed this issue by connecting with the Data Manager instead which in
>>turn was designed to communicate with the Signal and BMI receiver in a more
>>appropriate manner by DBC signal. For the most part, this has succeeded.
>>There are few, if any, reported incidents concerning the connectivity of the
>>Global Server and the DBC Data Manager.
I've personally had very few problems with the Server in TS4, even though I
switched from BMI to Signal at the end of '98, then back to BMI in March
'99. The opposite has been true for Global Server using the Data Manager as
I have outlined in my previous post.
>>To address your particular issue, you state that your packets are coming in
>>slow? Where exactly are you looking at this information. Are you bringing
>>up the diagnostic menu and looking at the database performance in the data
>>manager or are you looking at the Server/Performance tab? The other issues
You misread me, I stated that the bad packets count was low. I'm looking at
the LCD on the BMI receiver (Main menu, 1 diagnostics, 5 PPC). Currently my
tot pkts to bad pkts is about 1000:1 and the data flow is continuous.
>>are directly related to the data manager itself. If your reception and data
>>are being lost then the data manager is having problems connecting to your
>>receiver. It is your right as a consumer to hold us responsible for this,
>>but I would like to equate this action as holding us responsible for the
>>receiver malfunctioning, or a DTN receiver malfunction if you were to use
>>DTN, or the PCQoute Software Malfunctioning if you were to use PCQoute. To
>>some extent, our product is only as good as the data feeds that support us.
>>If they are not working correctly, our product is of no use to a day trader.
>>So to accurately address your complaint, you are unsatisfied with the Third
>>Party software that we are using to connect to you BMI receiver, but because
>>we depend on this software for our function, we are in part responsible as
>>well. I will not dispute this point.
You are misunderstanding me. There is no problem with reception or data
being lost. I can run TS4 using either of two other machines on the same
setup without any data problems. Only TS2Ki drops the data stream during
the day. The data feed is not at fault, in fact, I am VERY satisfied with
the BMI cable data feed.
>>The problem you mentioned with the chart window not opening as you left them
>>I have not been able to duplicate. I do have a couple of suggestions.
>>Please look at the File-Desktop Options menu sequence. In the general tab,
>>please make sure that you have the 'Automatically arrange new windows in
>>Workspace' and 'Automatically resize windows in Workspace' checked. Or, in
>>your case, they may be checked already and you might want to uncheck them.
>>If you have saved a workspace with the window in full screen, that workspace
>>should come up in full screen.
Other users have also noted on the Omega List that they are having problems
with the resize issue. This is quoted from another user's message today,
"I have also experienced the same problem with workspaces opening as a
window instead of in full screen mode as they were saved. But I had
this problem in SP3 as well, but not in SP2...???"
I also had this problem in previous versions of TS2Ki, including SP2. In
SP4, I have tried the 'Automatically arrange new windows in Workspace' and
'Automatically resize windows in Workspace' checked and unchecked with the
same results.
>>The problems you mention with your mouse pointer and the refresh rate of the
>>drawing objects may be do to your video card. I will not deny that
>>TradeStation 2000i is graphically intensive and can bring out problems that
>>would not normally appear in a program that is not redrawing its window on
>>every tick. Moreover, it is doing some sort of calculation on every tick by
>>as many windows you have open. And it is storing data to a database for as
>>many thousands of symbols you are collecting on a tick per tick basis. The
>>point is that our program has a way of snuffing out video problems, or
>>bringing about video problems, more than the average program. If this is
>>the case in your circumstance, then I would be more than willing to attempt
>>to resolve this and provide you with a better working version.
As previously noted, I have two machines available with state of the art
video for testing TS2Ki, a 500MHz PIII w/ 256Mb SDRAM using a Matrox G400
AGP2x video card w/ 32Mb SGRAM, and a 450MHz PII w/ 256Mb SDRAM using a
Diamond Viper AGP V770 w/ 32Mb SDRAM, both have the same problem, as does a
less well endowed 266MHz PII w/ 128Mb using a generic video card w/ 2Mb
RAM. Of course, that little 16bit graphics program, TS4, has no problem
with drawing or mouse pointer movement on the same machines. What do you
have in mind concerning "provide you with a better working version?"
>>I will not refute anything you have said in your email because I attempt not
>>to get into the politics of these situations. I am a software tester, and
>>my main concern is digging up the problems that our software may have to
>>better its performance for our users. This automatically makes me bias in
>>your favor. When I see a customer report a problem my first thought is how
>>can I recreate this problem and fix it and not to refute the problem. So,
>>if I can be of any assistance, I am more than willing to assist. I thank
>>you for any help you are able to lend me in this pursuit and for your
>>candidness in all of your issues.
I wish I had the luxury of not getting into the politics of these
situations, but unfortunately I must work with these situations in real
time every day. I am very happy that you are biased in the user's favor,
but I am very skeptical at this point about Omega's ability to correct the
bugs in their software any time soon. I'm also very disappointed to see
Omega promoting nonfunctional software to new customers in print and on TV
while old customers are left hanging.
I started working with TS2Ki last March and worked for many weeks with many
different tech support people trying to get it to run properly. Of course,
no one could get it to run then, and today, after 10 months it still won't
run reliably in real time. Beta testing is not new to me, if I can be of
further assistance in your efforts to debug TS2Ki I will certainly
cooperate, but I have a limited amount of time to give away, and I need to
concentrate on trading, not software.
Thank you for your concern, it is appreciated. As before, I hope you don't
mind my posting this to the Omega List.
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