I only found out about any of this from the futures.io email about this thread. Not one single email from the company regarding any of this. Really curious as to why that is the case.
The following 2 users say Thank You to willphule for this post:
Have to agree, nothing via email from the company at all on the new platform or on their youtube channel, its like its some kind of secret, really bad on comms.
The following 2 users say Thank You to edstar for this post:
Has anyone also noticed that the lastes version of NT8 appears not to roll the next expiration date (at least for the ES)? I think it's actually rolling but it still displays the message that it needs to roll. Go to the manual roll screen and let me know what you see.
The following user says Thank You to Tangotx for this post:
I'm posting over here as a post from @bobwest on the NinjaTrader Brokerages Services thread page 85 about software development got me thinking and am attempting to not change the subject of brokerage to much over there.
I'm attempt to submit hopefully something helpful to the NinjaTrader community as a whole as a possibility to relieve tensions over there on a longer term scale
Obviously from a company standpoint NT is attempting to provide the best user experience possible and are probably just as frustrated with us as we are with them through all of the Ninja Bashing that occurs on a regular basis. Hear me out keep reading
From a user standpoint we can be frustrated at times and a lot of you are frustrated consistently on a daily basis and fair enough, I have a minor bug now which began on the release of NT 8.0.27.1 and persists not helpful but manageable.
As a user who pays money for a product we EXPECT that product to perform as described out of the box or we as humans tend to react instinctively by nature, we've been done wrong by! the fight or flight reflex is triggered and in this case we tend to fight and not flight as we have a vested interest in the product we purchased in this case for multiple reasons, we spent money on the product, we are attached to the product due to third party add-ons, indicators, a lifetime license, etc. For example in my case I have a lifetime license, have optimized my charting to be EXACTLY as I want it and cannot replicate it on a different platform period.
If it was a product from Amazon with no emotional attachment we would simply return it for a refund right? But in this case we do have that emotional attachment or we would just leave and cut our losses, we don't want to leave we want NT to change, the only problem with this is to expect somebody else to change for our benefit is a futile act, people are going to do what it is that they want to do regardless of what we want, so probably the best course of action is to either accept the way things are, move on to another platform or hold onto the bitterness toward NT & suffer the consequences of stress etc that the consistent negative response causes, because the reality is they'll likely never change they've had plenty of time to do so already.
But anyway....
I suggest NT take a different standpoint when it comes to releasing both New Versions & Minor Upgrades which will at least help to resolve a lot if not all of the frustrations we have when it comes to receiving these upgrades & updates.
I am not a developer so have no idea of the jargon used or any idea of how to create a platform and have no intention to learn it's not my thing, I am a trader first and foremost. I want to see NT do well I believe it's in all of our best interests.
IF NT where to release EVERY SINGLE Upgrade & Update as a BETA version, remember I have no idea on jargon it's just an idea, this would automatically stop every single trader from reacting negatively when we download the new version & find bugs, data lags, freezes, crashes, and in NT 8.1's case a complete over hall of sorts
It gives us clear choice as to whether we want to wait it out, how long we need to wait it out for as once it clears BETA testing we have a good idea it should be OK rather than multiple attempts to upgrade/update ending in many frustrations leading people to Forums etc to vent there frustrations.
When new releases/updates are released send out a blanket email inviting users to partake in checking it out, spell it out let people know in advance that it is a BETA version and there may be a few issues, ask for traders input and encourage users to report bugs that they find. Also state that the prior release is still available for use for users who do not want to partake, spell it out clearly for people.
This way NT is acknowledging that the release is not prefect Instantly relieving tension, also stating that the prior release is still available for some time reliving confusion, people will feel they have the option of choice whether to try it out or wait, and actually feel enjoyment in finding bugs and reporting them feeling like they are part of the development process and feeling that there work is making a difference, rather than reacting negatively every time we find another bug in a supposedly new updated release....
Remember what I said above we bough it so it SHOULD work as described out of the box in the customers mind or it is a problem, each update SHOULD not come with bugs and troubleshooting straight off the bat or the development team must be crap as they can't even get it right again after so many years.... I don't think they are crap just the general user experience
As an attempt to change the instinctual negative response to finding bugs and issues in a product which SHOULD be PERFECT in a buyers mind, and reframe that response and actually induce a pleasure response in users when finding issues could be to add in a prize, only has to be small to trigger a positive response, for the user who reports the most bugs per release
NT could add a sense of comradery by posting a leader board of sorts to who's finding the most bugs and issues while assisting in the creation of a better more stable platform for all, again inducing a positive user response - changing the user perception from NT being a problem to troubleshooting becoming a way for users to actually help out and make a difference
NT could kind of gamify the whole process - Turn a Negative into a Positive - Turn a Problem into a Solution
I think many users are stuck in a negative feedback loop with NT being reinforced consistently over and over by multiple different sources within NT
Say 1 user has a platform issue which SHOULDNT HAPPEN remember, then contacts customer support gets told it's there system, indicators or add-ons frustration sets in (WTF) MY PC meets the minimum requirements, I bought my indicators/add-ons from there ecosystem, then go check the forum for answers and see that there are even more issues that users are having (are you serious!), now NT is hopeless and can't do anything right, have to troubleshoot by themselves to figure out the issues as couldn't get help from customer service, then go through the same process again and again with each update. I know this as I've personally gone through the process multiple times.
If NT is serious in there claim to provide the best user experience possible implementing changes and policies that reflect this claim are a must
I also suggest a BETA Forum in such a case where all of the bug fixing/issues posts can reside, this will clear up the Platform Support Forum from all of the issues it has listed consistently leaving room for people actually in need of support rather than pushing them further down the line, while also alleviating some of the issues mentioned in the aforementioned paragraph.
Users seeing and reading these problems again and again in the forum creates a negative perception about the platform and is reinforced every time they read the forum, do this for long enough and the negative reinforcement becomes subconscious, habitualized the mere mention of NT floods the brain with memories of past negative experiences and changing that perception becomes difficult. Create a separate place for these problems to reside for the users sake, I know I'm writing here now but I'm about to disappear back into the mist where I came from as I know the negative consequences of subjecting myself to reading what I have been reading for the past couple of weeks and involving myself emotionally in the quest to find out more about there broker service, it will begin to effect my psychology, my life and my trading. But I do appreciate all the assistance I have received from users here & in the NT forum.
Also I could see a major decline in email support tickets in this case as users are EXPECTING to find bugs in the new release easing pressure within NT's system itself leading to more resources to be directed into product development and a better customer support service at large.
Please look into implementing something similar to this to relieve user tension I think all of us would really like something like this implemented @NinjaTrader Ray
Just my 2 cents but it's obvious something has to change over there or the continued Ninja Bashing will persist indefinitely I'm afraid
Regards.
The following 3 users say Thank You to torento for this post:
I'm not happy that I can not use Ninjatrader without internet connection. Specifically when I'm on a long flight I cannot open ninjatrader and use market replay.
The following 3 users say Thank You to AnyM for this post:
That is good. I usually avoid updates for as long as possible and only recently started to use NT8.
It seems to me there are quite a few issues with the new update. Do you use beta testers before a major new roll out?
New NT8 free trial is only showing 10 levels of depth for ES. Old Trial was showing 100+ levels. Does anyone know why? Did the data feed change? Is there anyway to use Continuum Data feed on new ninja trader if it has changed?
The following user says Thank You to crudetrader22 for this post:
Me too. NT8 platform hasn't offered any upgrade either.
Judging by the amount of complaints it must be in Beta or something.
I think you can just hold off and wait a few months.
Looking at the 8.1.1.0 and .x.1 changelog, seems its more about the cloudification than anything else. At least for me the few bug fixes in 8.1.1.0 don't effect my NT8 version. 8.1.1.1 seems to be patching up what it broke in 8.1.1.0
