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Trading the Markets With FOSS Software?
Robert writes "Along with many other techies, I share an interest in the world of finance (bubble-era stock options pulled me in). Unfortunately, as someone with a strong preference for GNU/Linux as my operating system of choice, I have found that software in this area seems quite sparse. For awhile I have made do with Python, R, Gnumeric, Gnucash and a telephone, along with some small utilities I have written myself. What I would like to know is: what FOSS software do you use for financial analysis, trading, system development, and testing in a Un*x environment? Are there programs you would like to see written or ported? Do any brokerages, data providers, or other services provide good support for we the few? And finally, what commercial entities do you know of that are using FOSS software in their operation?"
Yeah, the ownership society is a democrat invention. Your intellectual prowess and skill at research astounds me. Want a bridge in Alaska?
Have you used Firefox on Linux? It crashes more than Windows NT. And what are you supposed to use for email? mutt? Thunderbird? ye gads, Evolution?
Is there even single compelling application for Linux that any ordinary person would even give a second glance?*
*Note - Steve Jobs and Apple managed to write a windowing system and tool-kit from scratch and a ton of compelling applications that drew people to the platform while Linux developers were busy implementing a scheme scripting engine for their spreadsheet program that nobody cares about despite having limited resources and an angry mob of shareholders, none of which Linux developers have to deal with, yet there are still barely any good desktop apps for Linux that aren't blown away by their commercial rivals.
Cathedral and Bazaar? My ass. If your cathedral is a run down shack full of idiots and money grubbers like Microsoft it's no wonder the bazaar does better.
Wake up and smell the fascism ??? How about, wake up and smell the socialism?
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It's your fault because you tried to predict the future and failed. There isn't anyone else to blame for your desire to finance more than you would be able to afford should things turn sour.
Or perhaps you think that you have some right to a favorable housing market that behaves as you desire? Probably. The culture of entitlement runs strong here at Slashdot.
Speaking of 1999... Were you as angry at Bill Clinton, when NASDAQ halved in 2000, as dot-com bust, as you are at Bush today?
Of course, it does — the whole purpose of Fannie/Freddie creation (and the not-so-implicit-anymore-is-it government backing for them) was to alleviate a so called "market failure" — to lend to the poor.
Bush should've demolished those things in 2002-03 (and privatized Social Security). Unfortunately, Al Qaeda preempted it all, and all he was able to accomplish was tax cuts and education reform.
Maybe, McCain will do it, if we are lucky...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.