Apple Macs as a trading tool?

[Beenjammin]

OK popped into the Mac shop yesterday and sat down at a shiny new iMac - couldnt get onto he Comsec WebIRESS demo (couldnt find a link - im not in Australia at the moment so they may not make it available if you dont have an Aussie IP address) but found another on line broker offering a demo of it. Slightly different menu options to Comsec, eg no options, however most of it was similar.

No glitches, all the basics seem to work as normal (however obviously I couldnt execute a trade) the only two things I noticed were:

1. Clicking on a hyperlinked headline in the News window did not spawn a window with the relevant document
2. One window failed to obtain data and the command "right click" was displayed.....can't do this on a Mac, no right mouse button. However Im sure there is a basic work around for what mst be a longstanding issue.

So all seems good as far as WebIress goes at present.

Good feedback on the Mac freeing up time, togs. Thanks again!

 

[cutz]

OK popped into the Mac shop yesterday and sat down at a shiny new iMac - couldnt get onto he Comsec WebIRESS demo (couldnt find a link - im not in Australia at the moment so they may not make it available if you dont have an Aussie IP address) but found another on line broker offering a demo of it. Slightly different menu options to Comsec, eg no options, however most of it was similar.

No glitches, all the basics seem to work as normal (however obviously I couldnt execute a trade) the only two things I noticed were:

1. Clicking on a hyperlinked headline in the News window did not spawn a window with the relevant document
2. One window failed to obtain data and the command "right click" was displayed.....can't do this on a Mac, no right mouse button. However Im sure there is a basic work around for what mst be a longstanding issue.

So all seems good as far as WebIress goes at present.

Good feedback on the Mac freeing up time, togs. Thanks again!

Hello again,

In actual fact there is a right click button, it just doesn't look like there is. Iress just doesn’t work the way it should on safari, one example I’ll give you is right click on the stock quote>>create sell order>>new window >>damn, new window doesn’t launch, so I need to select top left frame (example) to create the order. This is one of its many glitches and some of those glitches appear/disappear.

I punch most of my options orders through IB’s platform which works beautifully and I use iress mainly as a source of information executing enough trades to keep it available, so I’m mainly dragging quotes from the option monitor and dropping into depth for example to see who’s on or I’ll drag and drop a quote from the watchlist into a chart, iress intraday charts are really nice along with options analytics.

I’m not trying to put you off Mac as I use one and love it but be aware if you are intending to use iress as your primary platform you may be better off with a PC. If you will eventually use a platform that supports Mac go for it.

Sorry about leading you up the garden path with the iress demo link on commsec, when I checked it out it was around about the time they where looking at attracting Option Express clients, since then the link must have been removed.

 

[Beenjammin]

Thanks for the additional material - I guess the way I navigate around it dint elicit the glitches in question.

Not sure when they removed the link to the demo site, however I had it favourited on my home machine so if anyone wants it here it is:

http://webpromos.com.au/commsec/CommSecIRESS/

 

[togs]

The Apple Mighy Mouse senses which side your finger is on when you click. So it realy only works if you use one finger and swap it. Added to that, I personally think they're slower than other mice.

My advice? Buy a good third party one - Microsoft (ironically) or Logitech. If you like trackballs, get a Kensington Expert Mouse.

 

[sammy84]

I use a macbook(the cheapest entry model) with another monitor attached. I have upgraded my memory to 4g.

To trade the predominant programs I use are amibroker and comsec's iress. Both need to be run on windows for optimal use. Therefore when I am trading I use parallels on the external monitor and have all windows programs opened on it. Parallels is amazing, and if you dont want to fork out the extra money for it there are many torrents for it (Not advocating this as its illegal).

I switched over to a mac at the end of last year and will never go back! It would be a tough choice if I was forced to pick between my girlfriend and a mac

 

[cutz]

The Apple Mighy Mouse senses which side your finger is on when you click. So it realy only works if you use one finger and swap it. Added to that, I personally think they're slower than other mice.

My advice? Buy a good third party one - Microsoft (ironically) or Logitech. If you like trackballs, get a Kensington Expert Mouse.

I have to disagree with you there togs, my mighty mouse definitely has a left and right click (primary/secondary buttons), I think there was an enhancement a few years ago, I even confirmed it with the guys at the shop before I purchased as left click right click function is crucial with most platforms.

 

[togs]

I have to disagree with you there togs, my mighty mouse definitely has a left and right click (primary/secondary buttons), I think there was an enhancement a few years ago, I even confirmed it with the guys at the shop before I purchased as left click right click function is crucial with most platforms.

You could well be right. Decided I didn't like them years ago, never looked at them since.

Just had a look at Apple's page:

The Button That Wasn’t

Alas the fate of the one-button mouse in today’s multibutton world. Who has time for intuitive, elegant design when there is so much clicking to do? Thanks to a smooth top shell with touch-sensitive technology beneath, Mighty Mouse allows you to right click without a right button. Capacitive sensors under Mighty Mouse’s seamless top shell detect where your fingers are and predict your clicking intentions, so you don’t need two buttons — just two fingers. Click on the left side to use Mighty Mouse in its simplest, single-button form. Click on the right to access contextual menus within applications and edit, copy, label or download from your mouse. It’s simple sleight of hand.

Maybe they've improved the touch stuff?

 

[paulchow2k]

Hey sammy,
I am now running a combination of Pulse/Comsec Iress in Bootcamp rather than Parallels. Im trading full time but im sure you will discover the trading bugs on 10.5.x as you trade with Parallels or VM Ware.

The list of errors are long and has cost me $$$ so I'm now on bootcamp when I have my macbook pro as a trading platform.

By the way, I day trade while you might position trade so you might not come across the bugs. Just keep your risk to a manageable size just in case.

Good luck...

regards

paul

I use a macbook(the cheapest entry model) with another monitor attached. I have upgraded my memory to 4g.

To trade the predominant programs I use are amibroker and comsec's iress. Both need to be run on windows for optimal use. Therefore when I am trading I use parallels on the external monitor and have all windows programs opened on it. Parallels is amazing, and if you dont want to fork out the extra money for it there are many torrents for it (Not advocating this as its illegal).

I switched over to a mac at the end of last year and will never go back! It would be a tough choice if I was forced to pick between my girlfriend and a mac

 

[paulchow2k]

Cutz,
Safari and iress is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm a die hard mac fan but I've given up trading using Mac OS X. I'm running bootcamp during market hours instead. It's a lot safer than loosing a position as those die hard mac users will find out soon enough.

regards

Paul

Hello again,

In actual fact there is a right click button, it just doesn't look like there is. Iress just doesn’t work the way it should on safari, one example I’ll give you is right click on the stock quote>>create sell order>>new window >>damn, new window doesn’t launch, so I need to select top left frame (example) to create the order. This is one of its many glitches and some of those glitches appear/disappear.

I punch most of my options orders through IB’s platform which works beautifully and I use iress mainly as a source of information executing enough trades to keep it available, so I’m mainly dragging quotes from the option monitor and dropping into depth for example to see who’s on or I’ll drag and drop a quote from the watchlist into a chart, iress intraday charts are really nice along with options analytics.

I’m not trying to put you off Mac as I use one and love it but be aware if you are intending to use iress as your primary platform you may be better off with a PC. If you will eventually use a platform that supports Mac go for it.

Sorry about leading you up the garden path with the iress demo link on commsec, when I checked it out it was around about the time they where looking at attracting Option Express clients, since then the link must have been removed.

 

[cutz]

G'Day,

I have a query regarding TWS and Mac,

A fault has recently emerged with my mac, on attempted launch of TWS I get an Application error “Unable to launch the application” on the past couple of occasions a restart has fixed the problem, last time restart of browser only fixed this. Today nothing worked so I had to revert back to my PC.

Has anyone else experienced this problem and how did you resolve this?

Thanks in advance.


EDIT>>Ha Ha, looks like i will be eating my previous words.

 

[cutz]

G'Day,

I have a query regarding TWS and Mac,

A fault has recently emerged with my mac, on attempted launch of TWS I get an Application error “Unable to launch the application” on the past couple of occasions a restart has fixed the problem, last time restart of browser only fixed this. Today nothing worked so I had to revert back to my PC.

Has anyone else experienced this problem and how did you resolve this?

Thanks in advance.


EDIT>>Ha Ha, looks like i will be eating my previous words.

Hello again,

I fixed the problem by clearing the Java Cache and reloading but if anyone has any info on why this occured in the first place and how to resolve the issue i would appreciate the feedback.

 

[wicked]

To activate the right click you need to go to system preferences/keyboard mouse and make sure it has primary and secondary buttons set. The mighty mouse can be set to have 4 buttons!

2. One window failed to obtain data and the command "right click" was displayed.....can't do this on a Mac, no right mouse button. However Im sure there is a basic work around for what mst be a longstanding issue.

What software is available for trading on the mac? I use a iMac for everything and it works fine. I trade with commsec and Firefox without any hassles. But don't use their subscription tools.

 

[togs]

What software is available for trading on the mac? I use a iMac for everything and it works fine. I trade with commsec and Firefox without any hassles. But don't use their subscription tools.

I couldn't find much I liked, so I'm having a go at writing my own. MIght release iti n the next ten years. :

 

[psj02]

Hi there,
I converted to Macs a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. I assume you'll be using your machine for purposes other than trading, and for that Macs are a pleasure to use.

If you want to run Windows on your Mac the main choices are Bootcamp, Parallels and VMware Fusion. One thing no one's pointed out is with Bootcamp you have to choose when starting the machine which OS to use, so if you boot up with one and want to switch you have to restart the computer. I found this a PITA. I now have VMware and can toggle between Mac & Windows. Windows XP runs beautifully, I mainly use it for Insight Trader and other Windows only software such as Snagit & Outlook. Some browser sites do tend to work better in Windows I've found (such as the Macquarie Prime trading platform). I'm signing up with IB and I've read their trading platform supports Macs.

It sounds like you really want to take the plunge into Macs. I say go for it, and if you have Parallels or VMware you get the best of both worlds.

 

[jono1887]

Why would you want to use a Mac for trading? they are quite simply over priced and have poor compatibilty with alot of trading/charting software... why go through all this trouble?? stick with PC :