I agree with a lot of what has been said...and I wish all the threads could be more civil and helpful....disagreements are fine, but silly flamiing or "demanding" to be "right" is just such a waste of time.
I also agree that the NMS will be a "moving target" for a while. You'll notice that there are several "over-rides" for the Specialist based on size of orders (among other things)....I don't see the newly formed NYSE "Group" allowing for sending orders to ther exchanges....I just don't see their shareholders going for that, LOL.
Tape reading has changed a lot over the years...and the Specialist has done a lot less trading, relying more on filling orders correctly (at least most of the time, LOL).... I'm looking forward to the next couple of years, should be challenging yet fun and different. Again, adapting is imperative.
All the best,
Don