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Registered User
Joined: 3/28/2005
Posts: 64
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I've been a telechart gold member for awhile. I'm also contemplating moving up to real time. I've received promotional material and incentives from both blocks and telechart platinum. I attended the Baltimore blocks seminar and have loaded Blocks 3 and I'm playing with it. I'm experiencing many hiccups/jumpy and sometimes freezing of the software. This causes me to stop and ponder a few things, which I hope someone could provide a clear answer.
Why are you promoting two different platforms? It would seem more practical to fine-tune one software platform. Is there something inherently wrong with TC that prevents fine-tuning of a single software platform? Why should I, as a customer choose either one? What exactly are the directions that Blocks and TC are heading? What are the goals and planned capabilities of Blocks? What are the goals and planned capabilities of TC? Again I must ask why two different platforms? I'm a customer that wants a quality product and I'm ready to pay for that. I'm trying to make an informed decision but can't seem to see through a cloudy veil that seems to be hanging in front of each platform. Will someone kindly create a detailed table of the differences between Blocks and TC and also include the goals of each. Post this info alongside TC on the Software&Pricing web page so everyone can understand exactly what is going on.
I'll end this question with asking one more time: Why are you pushing two different platforms?
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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The first thing to understand is that TeleChart and Blocks are built based on two very different technologies.
When we realized we wanted to do things with market data that goes beyond what the TeleChart technology is capable we had to make a choice:
Make a new version of TeleChart rebuilt from the ground up
or
Make a new program called Blocks.
We chose the latter for several reasons. One of the main being, fundamentally changing a program as popular as TeleChart would likely anger a great number of our customers. The TeleChart platform has been refined (within the limits of its technology) for the past 10+ years into its current form. People love it, people use it and people rely on it.
Forcing a new version with all new conventions would of been a bad choice.
Instead we created a new program based on a new revolutionary technology. Blocks Trader is capable of things never possible in software before. By making a new program we are able to expand what we provide to our customers without changing TeleChart (which got us here in the first place).
I hope this helps.
You should see marked improvements in Blocks performance when the new build comes out in the next few weeks. Blocks does require much more from a computer than TeleChart does. The next build 64 asks a lot less of the computer resources than previous builds.
I cannot comment on directions of the programs because these details are not shared for competitive reasons.
There are a few key things TeleChart has that Blocks Trader does not, at this point:
1. Nightly Worden Report
2. Worden Notes
3. Personal Notes
4. MoneyStream
5. Balance of Power
6. Platinum clubs
I don't know if/when Blocks will have the above. The features that Blocks Trader has that TeleChart does not is too long to list. A review of the videos on www.Blocks.com will give you a strong feel for what Blocks Trader is capable of.
- Craig
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Registered User
Joined: 3/7/2005
Posts: 221
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Craig,
Does "... when the new build comes out in the next few weeks..." mean Build 64 has been pushed out from the "in the next week or so" timeline indicated on March 1?
I sure hope the update to the Scaling Method is included.
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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I think 64 will be available in the next 10 days.
- Craig
Here to Help!
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Registered User
Joined: 3/7/2005
Posts: 221
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Thanks, Craig.
It's nice to know what to expect.
And thanks for the great support. We all appreciate it.
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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We all do our best! Thanks for the kind words.
- Craig
Here to Help!
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Registered User
Joined: 7/21/2007
Posts: 188
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Hi Craig. Thanks for all your help. What exactly is this "revolutionary" technology? (I assume it's object oriented drag and drop.) Since blocks is revolutionary, can we assume that further develoipment of telechart is being phased out? For a beginner, who has yet to invest a lot of time learning to program telechart, would you recommend blocks instead? For a new beginner, who has maybe two months to learn a new product, which will provide more bang for the buck -- telechart or blocks? Everything you say tells me that blocks will eventually surpass telechart. Correct?
TIA.
Jim.
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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I am not prepared to make that judgement call. Blocks does have the development focus right now.
The Blocks Trader is based on our exclusive Blocks technology. It is hard to explain the technology fully but basically it is a new way to program and handle data that is unmatched in versatility and speed.
Blocks Trader can do things with data that is not possible elsewhere. It can do it at a speed that is unmatched.
- Craig
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Registered User
Joined: 3/28/2005
Posts: 64
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Craig,
Thank you for attempting to explain the reason for two platforms. Unfortunately I'm still having a difficult time comprehending the efficiency of doing it this way. Granted you have this new 'revolutionary' technology but it sounds like the same old programing methods of using Modules(blocks) to accomplish the desired result. The thing that I do grasp is that the actual software engine is a superduper, super sonic speed demon. Taking this 'revolutionary' software engine and saying that it can only be used in one 'vehicle' appears to me as being somewhat limiting. Instead of maintaining two separate platforms and having to use multiple data feed companies I would think that using this 'software engine' in one platform would make more business sense. Sure , you would have to re-compile TC code but you would end up with 'one' platform that could make the longtime users of TC happy and at the same time provide new wonderful capabilities for the new customer. One platform would allow a migration opportunity for long time users to gradually learn to drive the new 'engine'. The way it exists now the long time TC user is less apt to switch because they would have to use two platforms with additional expenses in order to learn a new platform. If TC is built around a slow, limited engine, it will eventually become useless. AT that point in time you just might lose customers to your competitors because you didn't take the time to bring them into the future with a single platform.
My recommendation is to take the time and take this 'revolutionary' engine and compile TC around it. This will keep all customers on the same page and feeling like they are not being neglected. Then develope all the super duper, speed demon things and offer them as modules (blocks) to the original TC platform. Over time I believe you will have less of a turnover(LOSS) of customers. Also you might have more satisfied customers if everyone had access to the same things. Now one platform does one thing and the other platform does another and from reading some of your discussion groups you are getting more and more dissatisfied customers. That is not good for business.
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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Noted, 2hands4u.
It was a decision we made and we do think it is the right one.
It would not be a matter of "recompiling" the TeleChart. It would mean a complete rebuilding of the program from the ground up. It would mean major changes to how the program runs and feels.
QUOTEGranted you have this new 'revolutionary' technology but it sounds like the same old programing methods of using Modules(blocks) to accomplish the desired result.
I am confused by this sentence. What "same old programming" uses the Blocks technology? Blocks are not programming modules but actual reusable bits of isolated code that pass information in a way never done in programming... ever. It is not visual programming, it is not modular programming as it has been done before. It is something that has never been done before.
We appreciate you telling us your thoughts but we do think the path chosen is t he best for current TeleChart users as well as current and future Blocks Trader users. Anyone can use one, the other, both or neither. I believe these options are better than the choice between using one program or none of our programs.
- Craig
Here to Help!
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Registered User
Joined: 3/28/2005
Posts: 64
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[QUOTE=Craig_S]Noted, 2hands4u.
QUOTEGranted you have this new 'revolutionary' technology but it sounds like the same old programing methods of using Modules(blocks) to accomplish the desired result.
I am confused by this sentence. What "same old programming" uses the Blocks technology? Blocks are not programming modules but actual reusable bits of isolated code that pass information in a way never done in programming... ever. It is not visual programming, it is not modular programming as it has been done before. It is something that has never been done before.
Hi Craig,
First I must say I'm not a programmer. 30 plus years ago I took an introductory course in flow charting and programming. Those were the days of Cobol, Fortran and Pascal. What I was trying to say is all programming begins with flow charting what you want to do. To save space everything was developed in modules(blocks) and reused throughout the program. The problem was always keeping track of all the modules and linking to them when you needed them. After you get through writing the 'code' in the proper syntax for whatever software engine (Cobol, Fortran or 'revolutionary' technology language) you must compile the code for use by whatever language. All I was trying to imply was that whatever language you are using still requires someone to speak that language in modules(blocks) before the program can sing and dance. The last I knew, no computer will do anything without someone at some level telling it what to do with software. This is where we get the expression garbage in means garbage out. There appears to be many bugs in blocks and to me a non programmer I see it as either bad syntax or a problem with the engine itself. Now if the engine creates it's own syntax to help make things easy on programmers the problem could be a mixture of both.
I'm just rambling on because I really don't know. Just trying to make an educated guess.
Sorry to take up so much of your time.
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Worden Trainer
Joined: 10/1/2004
Posts: 18,819
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No problem. Unlike other "visual programming" before, Blocks does not take the bits of code to then write one big piece of compiled code.
What makes it, in part, revolutionary is it runs from these Blocks vs. the Blocks creating code that is then compiled. Blocks are code. This may help in understanding why it is so different.
Any bugs present are a result of how everything is put together, how the code is written or unexpected interactions. The platform does not prevent bugs (if only it did!).
The platform does give all of us a new way to process data at a speed not possible with previous coding methods.
- Craig
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