Quote from tomf:
Yes, Kawabunga has an API. It uses FIX API as well some kind of http API for web based order entry.
If you know FIX it's the industry standard financial API and really good. Their documentation however is still in draft form but if you know a bit about it you will do good.
Hi tomf,
Thank you for the information. I kind of missed this one.
I indeed had a look at FIX already.
As you read, my practical problem seems to boil down to the almost monopoly (IB, forgive me) position of IB in this field. To lay your hands on docs with j-trader, x-trader, FIX or xyz, they are either only drafts or you have to lurk over somebody's shoulder if you don't want to pay upfront fees. In fact I have never seen a simple technical document from these above guys that describes access procedure for testing API applications. At IB, everybody can read this on their web site for free. Later you will pay them commissions, but at least you know it works and how much you will pay. With the others, you may think you will get lower commissions but have invested a lot already before you know it's going to do any good.
Moreover, once you write something to the API, what do you do then? Many brokers offer these different platforms but seem to know nothing about API and certainly never heard anything about testing. I tried to pursue this a little further but you get snowed in with legal documents as license agreements covering the test phase but not very clear on fees. Others are rather clear as to the examination your software has to pass together with the payment of fees and testing time. Besides that, a lot of technical questions must be solved about communications, ISP, IP addresses and so on. You have work for a team of people to cut through all the redtape.
I am simply interested in any TWS-like system without all this hassle. I am ready to program and test today if I can get online and don't have to pay till I have seen it works. Going by the respective Forums, IB has a rather active one and is also well represented at Yahoo's. The others, if you can find something, will only have a few posts by their own people and a few cats. So I would say a lot of work remains to be done before these "API's" become credible at all.
Dear tomf, I would be very grateful if you could give me any more hint towards solving this practical riddle.
Be good,
nononsense