Linux

[Garpal Gumnut]

Does anyone use Linux as an OS.?

I have tried to install ubuntu on a spare laptop but have problems getting it to connect to the internet because of windows modem installed on the laptop.

Can one buy a laptop in oz with linux installed that will connect to the internet.

I'm not stoopid, but sure feel so when confronted with IT.

gg

 

[ROE]

Does anyone use Linux as an OS.?

I have tried to install ubuntu on a spare laptop but have problems getting it to connect to the internet because of windows modem installed on the laptop.

Can one buy a laptop in oz with linux installed that will connect to the internet.

I'm not stoopid, but sure feel so when confronted with IT.

gg

Linux have come a long way since the 90
I mainly use it as a server OS, I installed bare bone package required to run services I required and no graphic interface, just those command line console.

but for your problem you need a kernel that support win modem or compile your own kernel and turn on those option.

You can pretty much get anything to run under Linux it just a matter of time figuring out what need to be done or write your own driver

I wouldn't recommended Linux unless you are pretty hardcore and don't mind messing with kernel, compile stuff from source code and don't mind generally hacking around to make thing work the way you wanted...

simplest option is try another linux distribution....something like
http://www.xandros.com/products/desktop/

I usually recommend my friend going windows if they don't have an IT background...

I have IT background and pretty hardcore with UNIX operating system in general so that sort of stuff come pretty naturally..

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Thanks mate.

I'm a muppet with hardcore IT stuff so will look and learn and try the distro you suggested.

I realise the prob is with the winmodem.

I'd still like to buy a laptop with linux loaded that would enable me to get on the internet, so if you know of one, let me know.

gg

 

[Solly]

gg, try Dell they run Ubuntu on some lines

http://search.ap.dell.com/results.aspx?s=bsd&c=au&l=en&cs=aubsd1&k=linux&cat=all

 

[Chris45]

Give Puppy Linux a try.
http://www.puppylinux.org/
Created by a fellow Aussie, Barry Kauler, and it's an excellent little OS.
How is Puppy Different?
* Small size, usually less than 100MB! This lends itself to some very useful and unique features
* 'Live' booting from CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, and other portable media.
* Runs from RAM, making it unusually fast for older or modern PCs and netbooks with solid state CF drives
* Very low minimum system requirements
* Boot time, well under a minute, on most systems 30-40 secs
* Usability and Compatibility
* Includes a wide range of applications: word processors, spreadsheets, internet browsers, games and image editors. Extra software in the form of dotpets. There is a Puppy Package Manager included
* Puppy is easy to use and little technical knowledge is assumed. Most hardware is automatically detected including analog modems for those using dial-up.

 

[ROE]

Thanks mate.

I'm a muppet with hardcore IT stuff so will look and learn and try the distro you suggested.

I realise the prob is with the winmodem.

I'd still like to buy a laptop with linux loaded that would enable me to get on the internet, so if you know of one, let me know.

gg

Just out of curiosity why on earth you still use modem these day?
Wireless internet is pretty cheap so if you have to go some where grab
a 12 months prepaid, 12G for $148 or so

 

[Timmy]

Wireless internet is pretty cheap so if you have to go some where grab a 12 months prepaid, 12G for $148 or so

Hey, that's a good back-up - who is that with pls ROE?

 

[Timmy]

Give Puppy Linux a try.
http://www.puppylinux.org/

This looks good.
So far I have been too gutless to try Linux but this does look like even I could get it going (.......maybe).

 

[Stan 101]

Timmy, with Linux distros like Ubuntu, you can run the operating system from a CD or USB stick to see if your hardware will be recognised before actually doing a full install. The operating system is run from RAM only (or page file I believe) and they are referred to as a live cd.

Live CDs are also great for fixing issues with hard drives for any operating system. Handy to have around.



cheers,

 

[sasch]

hi gg,

i bought a cheap netbook (eee pc 900ha) from officeworks the other day. they have a heap on clearance for under $500. Downloaded the netbook remix from ubuntu and transferred it to a usb stick. Booted the machine and installed from stick no promblems. i use a three g modem from three and the machine automatically recognises it. any 3g modem should work though. Great machine for trading on the go.

 

[Timmy]

Timmy, with Linux distros like Ubuntu, you can run the operating system from a CD or USB stick to see if your hardware will be recognised before actually doing a full install. The operating system is run from RAM only (or page file I believe) and they are referred to as a live cd.

Live CDs are also great for fixing issues with hard drives for any operating system. Handy to have around.



cheers,

Thanks Stan - will have to give this a go.

 

[aleckara]

Most people I know recommend Linux Mint as a starter off distro. Comes with everything preinstalled including Adobe Reader, Flash, MP3 support, Video Codecs. Normally it really is just a load once and everything works kind of package.

 

[ROE]

Hey, that's a good back-up - who is that with pls ROE?

Three internet I have it ...rock up to any 3 store and you be connected in 2 hours... you got 12 months to use it , I like it better than the monthly prepaid
some month you use a lot other month you hardly use it all work out nicely

 

[Chris45]

Most people I know recommend Linux Mint as a starter off distro. Comes with everything preinstalled including Adobe Reader, Flash, MP3 support, Video Codecs. Normally it really is just a load once and everything works kind of package.

Mint is excellent, also SimplyMEPIS and PCLinuxOS. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from and they're all free.
For info on what's currently available visit: http://distrowatch.com/
I'd be using linux myself if it were not for a couple of Windows programs I use constantly.

 

[Chris45]

FWIW, there's a free Linux charting program, Qtstalker, that's similar to MetaStock, SuperCharts and TradeStation.
http://qtstalker.sourceforge.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qtstalker

I tried to get it up and running a year or so ago but failed due to lack of understanding of Linux. Has anyone used it and have an opinion on it?

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

FWIW, there's a free Linux charting program, Qtstalker, that's similar to MetaStock, SuperCharts and TradeStation.
http://qtstalker.sourceforge.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qtstalker

I tried to get it up and running a year or so ago but failed due to lack of understanding of Linux. Has anyone used it and have an opinion on it?

What data does it use?

gg

 

[Chris45]

What data does it use?
gg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qtstalker
# Quote plugins download data from online sources such as Yahoo (with quotes from several stock exchange in the world, the full list here), CME, NYBOT
# Data import plugins for plain-text CSV files and MySQL database

Need a Linux guru to give further explanation.

 

[app2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qtstalker
# Quote plugins download data from online sources such as Yahoo (with quotes from several stock exchange in the world, the full list here), CME, NYBOT
# Data import plugins for plain-text CSV files and MySQL database

Need a Linux guru to give further explanation.

Hi guys,

I first started using Linux in 1994 (while studying IT at uni) and I must admit that I now have BIG problems when using Windows. Even my wife insists on using Linux on her laptop. I feel like a cripple when I am forced to use Windows.

Anyhoo, I tried QTStalker for a bit while learning TA about a year ago. I used v0.32 so it isn't the latest and greatest anymore.

QTStalker is not very intuitive to use but once you get used to it, the package is quite good. It has a bunch of built-in indicators as well as a language to create your own. The graphs and layout are customisable and the drawing is crisp and beautiful...much better than most other packages I have used.

As for the question about plugins, well, you have to get your data from somewhere and QTStalker gives you a lot of options. You can feed it CSV files (such as the ones your broker provides with EOD data) or you can use Yahoo Finance as a data source for data (including a historical backfill).

Some savvy computer gurus can can store their quote data in a database (MySQL) and use the appropriate plugin to query the database for quote data. This is probably beyond the realms of most traders. You'd only need the real grunt of a database engine if you were running some serious data mining and manipulation.

As good as QTStalker was, I outgrew it and moved on to AmiBroker, which I ran for a long time using WINE on Linux. But I now run it in an XP virtual machine becaase I have a few other programmes that require Windows and don't quite work properly under WINE (Stator AFM and PremiumData)

For anything other than games or proprietary software, I highly recommend Linux. Ubuntu is a pretty good distribution but has a few quirks when it comes to things like MP3 playback (it is a patent issue because MP3 is a closed "standard" and certain regions require a royalty to be paid...it's the law), which are easily resolvable (but a slight hassle), but I believe that other distros such as Mint bundle all this for you.

Linux, in my experience, is much, much faster than windows, and much more secure and stable. Ironically, I have found it to have better hardware support than Windows!

As for the question about the modem, have you tried Googling an answer? If you can use an Ethernet connection, Linux will usually work out-of-the-box and assign you an IP address.

HTH,

A.

 

[Chris45]

Thanks app2 for that info. Linux and QTStalker interests me but setting it all up and getting it to work properly can be a bit challenging.

Does the data manager distribute the EOD data over different destination files and can it merge files, adjust for splits, sort symbols alphabetically, etc?

 

[app2]

Thanks app2 for that info. Linux and QTStalker interests me but setting it all up and getting it to work properly can be a bit challenging.

Does the data manager distribute the EOD data over different destination files and can it merge files, adjust for splits, sort symbols alphabetically, etc?

C45,

Not sure what you mean. QTStalker stores the data for each stock in binary files (one per stock). You can feed QTStalker the data from Yahoo or CSV (or whatever else).

When feeding it CSV, you set up rules, such as the data format of your file. You also optionally specify the date range for the import. I believe you can have multiple symbols per input CSV file if that is desirable to you (that's how my broker dishes out EOD data). I don't think it adjusts fo splits etc.

You can also tell it to poll a file every x minutes so you can get intraday snapshots if they are being supplied by another programme.

I don't know why you'd want to access the QTStalker binary files if you already have hte raw CSV data, but I'm sure the format is documented as the software is Open Source.

If you want to sort data by symbol in a CSV file, I'd use a shell (terminal) and the "sort" command, but I'm a propeller hat guy who knows his way around the powerful *nix shell pretty well. I guess you can use one of the many, many spreadsheet programmes available for Linux.

HTH,

A.