What About Linux?

[Simples]

Linux provide best desktop and server IMHO. However, for some special applications you might have difficulties running on Linux. I'd forget about wine, unless you know / got it to be stable whatever you're running. My experience, wine is just not stable and robust enough to be a real solution.

A better solution is having good hardware and running VirtualBox/VMWare Player with Windows. With good and modern enough hardware, you can run almost anything virtualized.

For Linux, anything Java/Python-based should be cross-platform, as well as proper API's should be possible to access. However, proprietary trading platforms might need virtualization (ie. NT). Can be made to work, and you'll retain most advantages of running Linux.

For new install, you could consider Mint. Ubuntu works OK too, but Mint is a bit more flexible and polished in some areas. This isn't about being newbie or not, but you'll want 95%+ of features to work well, as tinkering on Linux may consume 2-4x the time unfortunately.

Nothing but Linux for general usage in our household now!
No annoying indicator popups, nagware and generally a more pleasing aesthetic experience.
Though, caveats is a bit more time tinkering (ie. getting older printers/drivers to work) and may need to go distro-shopping to get best fit. But once one finds what works for you, you can have a pretty decent and stable OS for 5-10 years, and also better support for older hardware and possible to trim/tweak OS much more. Ideally, OS should stay in background and just work.

 

[HobbyTrading]

Am I just stuck with web based apps?

No, you are not. If you search for "Interactive Brokers TWS software" you'll get to a download page which automatically detects which operating system you are running. If it is Linux you'll be offered the Linux version.
I use TWS every now and then (OS Ubuntu 18.04), but most of my trading is automated. For automated trading is the graphical user interface not needed, so I use IB's Gateway software instead of TWS.

 

[nooby_mcnoob]

Grow up man. I use Ubuntu, the windows of Linux, and I also use Windows. If there is trading software I need, I run it under a VM

 

[Stockolio]

Huh... It's all about Windows and Firefox!

 

[GrowleyMonster]

I run IB TWS/API (for IRA) and Rithmic R|API+ on Ubuntu....works great!

That being said... I see no reason to be rigid with your OS. W10 now allows you to install a bash shell if you need a linux-ish experience.

The problem with W10 is not that it isn't enough like Linux. I don't care about having a linux-ish experience as far as the UI goes. I am okay with a desktop gui and I am okay with a terminal. I actually liked XP and W7, as far as the GUI went. The problem is that it is windows, and closed source. I simply do not trust an operating system that is not open source and I find it very inconvenient to dither around with antivirus etc software and still have problems. Bugs and exploits in the Linux kernel are quickly fixed and in a transparent manner. Every user is a potential developer. (not that I am... coding is shall we say not my strong suit!) I don't want to turn this into an "I hate winDOHs" thread but the record speaks for itself.

Anyway to get back on topic after my instinctive and unproductive rant, thanks for the tip... I just have to start another thread on what IRA and Rithmic are and how to impliment them. Just knowing that there are practical options available is a big help because I was told otherwise. Or I should say, misinformed.

 

[GrowleyMonster]

I understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately, it's still difficult to be 100% Windows free. While both TWS/IB and ToS/TDAmeritrade run on Linux I find they are more reliable on Windows. Also I had some difficulty configuring for multiple monitors. So I just took the easy way out.
Why did you choose Andrew, curious?

I guess he paid to have his book pop up first on amazon. I don't remember, exactly. Snappy to the point title? It had good reviews in spite of the soft push he gives to his paid forum/chatroom, courses, etc. The book was fairly readable for an utter newbie, myself. A bit more "grownup" than the Dummies book I downloaded a few days later which seems to be more about having fun with trading than earning a living from it. I will give the Dummies book points for explaining or avoiding jargon that a newbie might not be able to figure out, though. All in all, to answer your question, I didn't choose the author. Amazon chose the book and I clicked the magic button and made Mr. Aziz a few more bucks without even being aware of who he was. As chance would have it, I like the book and I am currently reading it again for the third time in less than a month. His strategies seem sensible and practical and clearly explained, and my initial adventures in paper trading will follow one or two very closely.

 

[nooby_mcnoob]

I have been using Linux since university 80,000 years ago, and it is still my daily driver, but Windows 10 is a very good operating system if you get rid of the advertising bullshit.

 

[GrowleyMonster]

Is your day trading to be all automated?
Will it be equities, futures or both?

To first question, no. At least I don't think so. Is a stop order considered automated? I will be picking my stocks and entry/exit points myself, if that's what you mean.

To second, equities only, at least for the first couple of years. I want to learn one thing before trying other things.

 

[IAS_LLC]

The problem with W10 is not that it isn't enough like Linux. I don't care about having a linux-ish experience as far as the UI goes. I am okay with a desktop gui and I am okay with a terminal. I actually liked XP and W7, as far as the GUI went. The problem is that it is windows, and closed source. I simply do not trust an operating system that is not open source and I find it very inconvenient to dither around with antivirus etc software and still have problems. Bugs and exploits in the Linux kernel are quickly fixed and in a transparent manner. Every user is a potential developer. (not that I am... coding is shall we say not my strong suit!) I don't want to turn this into an "I hate winDOHs" thread but the record speaks for itself.

Anyway to get back on topic after my instinctive and unproductive rant, thanks for the tip... I just have to start another thread on what IRA and Rithmic are and how to impliment them. Just knowing that there are practical options available is a big help because I was told otherwise. Or I should say, misinformed.

IRA...is a retirement account. I trade it through Interactive Brokers TWS, on Ubuntu Linux. Rithmic is a futures datafeed/execution provider whos API i connect to on Ubuntu Linux.

I think IB TWS is your best bet...Although, for some, it isn't fancy enough.

 

[GrowleyMonster]

IRA...is a retirement account. I trade it through Interactive Brokers TWS, on Ubuntu Linux. Rithmic is a futures datafeed/execution provider whos API i connect to on Ubuntu Linux.

I think IB TWS is your best bet...Although, for some, it isn't fancy enough.

<face palm> duh me. I thought, naaaaaah, he doesn't mean Individual Retirement Account, he means some fancy charting or scanning software or something. Okay thanks. I was overthinking again.