Why switch to NT8?

[RonnyKeller]

I already installed several Betas plus the RC1, and after almost two years since NT announced plans to create NT8, I'm a pretty disappointed so far.

There are a few new good things (like tabbed windows), but they are often only working half the distance you would like them to (like moving a tabbed window to another existing window is NOT possible); the NT8-software feels heavy, slow and lagging (crosshair-issue still not resolved), and many times the "highlight" of a new Beta-version was to find a feature that worked excellent in NT7 finally be working in NT8 again (after it was broken in earlier Betas, like the screenshot-feature). And then there are fails like using the same chart-trader-setting over multiple tabs with different instruments and settings and so on - and of course there's the need to re-code a lot of stuff from NT7.

So, my question is: what are the real goodies in NT8? What's truly in there for me when switching to NT8? I see really a lot of open issues - but what advantages will I finally find, two years into NT8-development? Try and convince me how great the trading-world will be after switching to version 8 - maybe I'm missing the main advantages?

[trader3419]

I have found that NT8 has many improved features for my use. I will list a few off the top of my head.

Overall improved performance and speed.
Chart isn't stuck loading data forever, you can just change timeframes or days to load.
Can attach stop loss to indicators from chart trader.
Objects can be globally drawn from NS
Add on feature and globally shared variables.
Smoother chartscaling.

Those are some of the things that I have experienced just in the last few days since I installed it.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hi RonnyKeller,

A Beta is designed for a large group of users to preview and identify bugs. It is expected that some items would be broken and then fixed.

If you are wanting a stable platform, NinjaTrader 7 will be supported for the foreseeable future.

http://ninjatrader.com/PlatformDirect

Below I am providing a link to the NinjaTrader 8 major enhancements document that outlines the most exciting new features.

http://ninjatrader.com/Downloads/MajorEnhancements_NinjaTrader8.pdf

[RonnyKeller]

ChelseaB, I understand the concept of BETA-versions, since I'm engineering software for decades already. I assume that many of those enhancements on that list could have been built into NT7 as well instead of developing all new from scratch.

NT7 is pretty great to use, and most importantly NT's founder Ray created it from a trader's point of view.
NT8 feels much more like being built by some young developers who have little to no experience when it comes to trading (sometimes it even feels like one of those "agile scrum development teams" would create NT8, but that's just a guess...).
One of the mandatory needs for ALL new software-versions is to provide everything that worked before at least - and yet, those developers keep or kept collecting "votes" for stuff that did work in NT7.
You have a working sample in front of you - how could it be that so many things are or were not working for so long now?

I think NT8 is one big expensive software-adventure that prevented NT from getting to 2016's real needs - like offering a platform that works on mobile devices (Android, IOS), too.
I love NT, but I fear they will get passed soon by competitors who are already able or close to offer mobile trading at least as a supplement...