Licence, Compatibility, Auto-updates and more..

[Stav]

I was looking into Tickstory (licensed version) and its capabilities. I figured the lite version you offer in order to evaluate the application cannot compile late version EAs so no point actually having it online.. I wasted 2 hours of my time for this..

Now, back to what I wanted to know (re licensed version)..

First, once a licensed user, are updates free? I see many modifications and new releases come out often.. Online there's a mention on how registered users upgrade from a previous licence version but potential buyers don't know whether those updates come at extra cost?

Second, is the latest version of Tickstory only compatible with MT4 Builds released prior to Build 970?

Third, I assume auto-updates are not a worry with a licensed version?

Fourth, what makes Tickstory 3x times (almost) cheaper than Birt's Tick Data Suite (main advantages/disadvantages?) considering Birt's method is way more time consuming as well, I wonder?

And last, I have my own tick data ( .csv, .fxt, .hst files) - is it possible to use Tickstory ONLY for backtesting rather than importing/exporting downloaded data? Also, in this regard, and if I wanted more than just backtesting, can I place my own .csv files in

C:\Users\usr_name\AppData\Roaming\Tickstory\Data

so that I can then export new .fxt and .hst files (basically getting away without downloading data since I have my own)? My data were sourced from both Dukascopy and JForex. If yes, can I set the spread on .fxt files to zero?

Looking forward for your response.

Rgs,
S

[tickstory]

Hi Stav,

In response to your questions:

First, once a licensed user, are updates free? I see many modifications and new releases come out often.. Online there's a mention on how registered users upgrade from a previous licence version but potential buyers don't know whether those updates come at extra cost?

We've tried to publicise our license policy as widely as possible for users prior to purchase. We do understand that there are questions around this since it is an unusual licensing policy which is designed to provide maximum benefit to our users. The short of it is: Your license fee covers 1-month of support and updates. The longer answer to this is provided here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1249

Second, is the latest version of Tickstory only compatible with MT4 Builds released prior to Build 970?

Yes. A run-down of the Free vs Standard features is shown here: http://tickstory.com/download-tickstory

Third, I assume auto-updates are not a worry with a licensed version?

We are working on an auto-updating feature. For the moment, there is a manual process of clicking on a link and downloading the latest version. This process takes approximately 30 seconds (depending on the speed of your internet connection).

Fourth, what makes Tickstory 3x times (almost) cheaper than Birt's Tick Data Suite (main advantages/disadvantages?) considering Birt's method is way more time consuming as well, I wonder?

We have worked extremely hard to make Tickstory accessible as possible to all users and we have tried to reflect this in our license fees. For some years we offered Tickstory for free but recognise that to build bigger and better software, we do need to introduce software fees. To this end, we are trying to strike a balance where we continue to build bigger and better software yet have a thriving community alongside us.

It is worthwhile mentioning that TDS also charges a $10 per month fee for on-going support and updates. As mentioned in the previous question, we try to absorb some these on-going development and support costs so at the moment we are not regularly applying a similar charge.

You can find a current comparison of features here:
https://tickstory.com/product/birts-tick-data-suite/

And last, I have my own tick data ( .csv, .fxt, .hst files) - is it possible to use Tickstory ONLY for backtesting rather than importing/exporting downloaded data? Also, in this regard, and if I wanted more than just backtesting, can I place my own .csv files in

C:\Users\usr_name\AppData\Roaming\Tickstory\Data

so that I can then export new .fxt and .hst files (basically getting away without downloading data since I have my own)? My data were sourced from both Dukascopy and JForex. If yes, can I set the spread on .fxt files to zero?

Yes - there should be no issues utilising your own FXT generated files (provided, of course that it complies with the MT4 standards).

Hope this answers your questions.

[Stav]

Thanks for the response.

It pretty much answers my questions yes, but one.

I am trying to figure out whether by purchasing a licence I get access for one ONLY month or not? You mention that

license fee covers 1-month of support and updates

. Will I still be able to use the Tickstory version purchased and carry out backtests after one month if I won't update/grade?

Thanks again

[tickstory]

Hi Stav, that's correct. You can continue to use the current version of your software without restriction. Upgrades are recommended but not compulsory.

Kind regards.

[Stav]

Okay, good!

Thanks again

[Stav]

Actually, I have one more question for now.. Is build 1012 compatible with the latest release? And if not, what is the latest that can be used.

See, my EAs are made with the latest metaeditor and I'd like to avoid having issues with the compiler or code.

[tickstory]

Hi Stav,

Yes, Tickstory currently supports the latest Build 1012 as shown on our "features" grid:

http://tickstory.com/download-tickstory/

Regards.