Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

Created at 06 Nov 2024, 21:34
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PattyTradeTeam

Joined 07.07.2022

Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40
06 Nov 2024, 21:34


Dear cTrader developers,

As a Team since a few years we are using MT4 and MT5 as trading platforms, but we are always open for different options.

I was personally impressed by cTrader and its graphical interface, so in 2002 we decided to give it a try and I was personally in charge of studying and exploring the many capabilities that it offers.

After more than 2 years I believe I have a clear understanding of the cTrader platform, therefore I invited my colleagues to try it and monitor the possibility of using cTrader as our trading platform.

The following is a brief summary of our own experience with cTrader Desktop on Windows.

The positive aspects

  1. cTrader is the trading platform with the best user-friendly interface
    It is intuitive, the graphical layouts are gorgeous, the information provided is well done
  2. from our point of view, the programming language for cBots is preferably compared to others because we already had a good understanding of C coding
  3. the list of assets is adeguate
  4. the forum is useful

The negative aspects

  1. Stability is not optimal
    cTraders desktop application on Windows appears to be less stable compared to MT4 and MT5
    We have encountered quite a number of reconnections and a few times of software freezing requiring to quit and relaunch
    If that happens during an optimization, it means hours of work lost
    We have tested cTrader before on Windows 10 and then on Windows 11 and we can say there are no stability improvement
  2. Updates are confusing and not stable
    We have assisted to a significant number of software updates. 
    Updates are positive because they show your efforts to improve the software
    But updates should be checked before released and with cTrader it was not the case
  3. The tabs for each chart are a good idea but not efficient
    MT4 and MT5 have tabs for switching between charts
    They works fine and fast, they are easy and fast to reorganise
    cTrader tabs are tricky, reorganise them is slow, sometimes quite impossible
    When you add a new chart it goes automatically at the end of those already existing and moving it to the desired position is often impossible or at lest frustrating
  4. Updates are not a user choice
    When a cTrader update is released there is no option for the user to choose since the software is automatically updated when quitting and restarting the program
    It is fine that some critical updates should be forced but not for every single update (unless we call them beta ?)
    When an update is provided there should be a list of changes and before updating the user should (and would) be aware of the changes and may need to make same steps before deciding to update
  5. Too many bugs with every update
    This is the most negative, annoying and frustrating part
    We have encountered new bugs with every single update
    Some bugs were so evident just a few minutes after launching the application
    Therefore the question: since some bugs are so obvious is there any developer testing the updates ?
    Forcing the users to update with newest bugs is a big responsibility that should not be ignored
  6. Latest version 5.0.40 is a nightmare
    During previous updates we have assisted to a number of more or less significant bugs, but version 5.0.40 is really a very bad update, just to mention the most relevant:
    - impossible to obtain an optimization since it freezes after some 10 minutes
    - News are not displayed after a few minutes
    - Calendar is not displayed after a few minutes
    - workspaces button is dimmed after a few minutes
    - some cBots are useless and missing both asset and timeframe
    - some cBots are active but not functioning
    How is it possible that functions that were working in the previous release do not work with the update ?
  7. cTrader for Mac
    We understand that cTrader for Mac is still at a developing stage and not yet complete, and I am not going to list here its own bugs
    But paradoxically we found it is more consistent than the latest version of cTrader for Windows

Our conclusions

  1. Updates should be tested before forcing users to update
    We have the opinion that some updates in the last 2 years were only beta (or alpha) versions
    Fine that you make them available but, please do no force users to update if the version is not safe to use
  2. The graphic interface is not the primary aspect for a trading platform
    The beautiful graphic interface of cTrader is very welcome but it should be considered a secondary aspect and NOT the primary aspect to focus
    As traders, we need a stable, consistent, fast, reliable trading platform
    We need to operate inside an environment with as less bugs as possible
  3. As developers of a trading platform you have a big responsibility 
    This is not a videogame, we deal with real money, our money and our clients money
  4. Please correct the many bugs of cTrader 5.0.40 as soon as possible because they are making people mad. We have stopped using cTrader until it is solved

Our aim is purely to give you our feedback hoping that it is useful 
We wish that you continue your job developing a better cTrader platform and we look forward when it will work properly so we can use it every day for our trading

Best regards,

Patty

 

 

 


 


@PattyTradeTeam
Replies

huguh
06 Nov 2024, 22:48 ( Updated at: 07 Nov 2024, 15:16 )

Thumbs up


@huguh

bcronje
06 Nov 2024, 23:37

Very well said Patty.


@bcronje

EclipseTrades
07 Nov 2024, 01:00 ( Updated at: 07 Nov 2024, 06:56 )

All issus fix!!!


@EclipseTrades

PanagiotisCharalampous
07 Nov 2024, 07:09

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis


@PanagiotisCharalampous

PattyTradeTeam
07 Nov 2024, 08:28 ( Updated at: 07 Nov 2024, 09:25 )

RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

Thank you for your efforts.

Please consider some of our feedback for future developments

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms

Patty


@PattyTradeTeam

firemyst
07 Nov 2024, 10:52

Well said overall.

It's quite evident from the string of releases that they have no automated testing procedures in place, nor any dedicated team of testers to review/test releases. 

Way too many of these bugs that have been found and affect the application would have been caught doing basic testing if users are experiencing issues within a day of using the software.

Just look at the recent bug I've reported back in May/June with cBots and it's still not resolved. How can anyone trust cTrader to run any bots when there's a huge known bug that's gone unfixed since at least June?!

If there's any leadership at Spotware, they need to dump their people who are responsible for quality control, and some of their developers who should be doing basic unit tests (and catching these issues) to get some people in there who believe they should actually test their software before releasing to the public.


@firemyst

dave.anderson.consulting
07 Nov 2024, 14:25 ( Updated at: 08 Nov 2024, 06:13 )

RE: RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

PattyTradeTeam said: 

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

Thank you for your efforts.

Please consider some of our feedback for future developments

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms

Patty

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms

Why exactly? Based on your supposed findings? You contradict yourself. It's like the comments under the youtube videos that superficially thank the author for what he uploaded. Regardless of what nonsense the author says.
Regarding software quality, reliability and speed, cTrader is years behind almost every other platform I know.
Besides, every mediocre developer knows what software testing and software quality is. I'm sure the cTrader team knows it too. The only question is why they don't do anything about it.


@dave.anderson.consulting

couscousmckoy
07 Nov 2024, 20:26 ( Updated at: 08 Nov 2024, 06:14 )

RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

I know you've probably not had the best of weeks but I think Patty's eloquent, insightful and detailed feedback possibly deserved a bit more than your identikit "problem solved" response.  Probably unfair of me considering, but at the very least I hope Spotware takes points on board points 1,2,4 and 5 relating more to development process than any particular bug.


@couscousmckoy

PattyTradeTeam
08 Nov 2024, 15:04 ( Updated at: 09 Nov 2024, 12:12 )

RE: RE: RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

dave.anderson.consulting said: 

PattyTradeTeam said: 

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

Thank you for your efforts.

Please consider some of our feedback for future developments

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms

Patty

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms

Why exactly? Based on your supposed findings? You contradict yourself. It's like the comments under the youtube videos that superficially thank the author for what he uploaded. Regardless of what nonsense the author says.
Regarding software quality, reliability and speed, cTrader is years behind almost every other platform I know.
Besides, every mediocre developer knows what software testing and software quality is. I'm sure the cTrader team knows it too. The only question is why they don't do anything about it.

 

Keep moving in the right direction cTrader deserves to become a leader of the trading platforms
It means that I respect the efforts of others and I hope and wish that people behind cTrader will be successful.

At this moment, as I explained in my original thread, cTrader is not the best trading platform and it seems that the developing team is not fine tuned.
My opinion is that cTrader is a creative project, beautiful interface, many functions and easier to program because it uses C language.
I do not want to go into details but we should all agree that some aspects are better than MT4 and MT5.
BUT, cTrader is not (at least now) a mature project.
I am not going to list (again) the negative aspects, but, if the developers:
1) will start working in a more organised manner
2) will correct the other bugs that are still in place
3) will produce a stable version
4) will be more careful before publishing betas with many bugs

I think that cTrader will have a future and will be a real competitor of MT4 and MT5.

 

 


@PattyTradeTeam

PattyTradeTeam
08 Nov 2024, 15:05 ( Updated at: 09 Nov 2024, 12:12 )

RE: RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

couscousmckoy said: 

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

I know you've probably not had the best of weeks but I think Patty's eloquent, insightful and detailed feedback possibly deserved a bit more than your identikit "problem solved" response.  Probably unfair of me considering, but at the very least I hope Spotware takes points on board points 1,2,4 and 5 relating more to development process than any particular bug.

Yes exactly.
I honestly was expecting a bit more than that !


@PattyTradeTeam

Vicktor
08 Nov 2024, 15:10

I totally agree with Patty and her observations.

I use MT5 because it works fine, and cTrader because i love its user interface.

If the developers will be able to maintain such friendly interface with the speed, stability and consistency of MT5, cTrader will become a real leader of trading platforms


@Vicktor

PattyTradeTeam
08 Nov 2024, 15:20 ( Updated at: 09 Nov 2024, 12:12 )

PanagiotisCharalampous

I am quite a bit concerned because I see that for my posts I get the following “This post awaiting modaration.”

Do you think that my posts are dangerous ?
If so, you are in the wrong way.

Are my posts offensive ?
Absolutely not !

Maybe my original post lists some negative aspects of cTrader ?
Yes ! It was my intention !
A forum is made exactly for this.

So PanagiotisCharalampous try to be more explicit !
And if I am not welcome in this forum, feel free to let me know and I will quit immediately.

 


@PattyTradeTeam

firemyst
09 Nov 2024, 05:56 ( Updated at: 09 Nov 2024, 12:13 )

RE: RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

 

PanagiotisCharalampous said: 

Hi all,

This problem should have been resolved by now. Please restart your cTrader and in case you still experience problems, please send us some troubleshooting information quoting this thread.

Best regards,

Panagiotis

I know you've probably not had the best of weeks but I think Patty's eloquent, insightful and detailed feedback possibly deserved a bit more than your identikit "problem solved" response.  Probably unfair of me considering, but at the very least I hope Spotware takes points on board points 1,2,4 and 5 relating more to development process than any particular bug.

 

In at least the last 7 years I've been on these forums and have seen Panagiotis' responses, I can't recall a time where I've ever seen him do a generic copy/paste of responses like this. Even though it says it's his account, I'm not convinced it's him who actually wrote it. If it is, it's definitely “desperate times, desperate measures” and I'd be a bit disappointed like everyone else. 

That aside, you can tell Spotware must be receiving A LOT of bugs and issue complaints with their release that all they can do to keep up is respond with the generic cookie-cutter response as you indicated.

Surely they must realize by now they are screwing up big time and need to get their act sorted?

 


@firemyst

PanagiotisCharalampous
09 Nov 2024, 12:40

Dear PattyTradeTeam,

All posts that contain a link or come from new users go through moderation. I don't recall censoring anything you posted.

Dear firemyst,

My job description requires me to help users using cTrader i.e. answering how questions and forwarding feedback back and forth. In this case, my job was to communicate the issues to the product teams and report the resolution to the users. What and why questions are not questions I can answer. Therefore I rarely engage in such discussions. Rest assured that the company receives your feedback any values any criticism, positive or negative.

Best regards,

Panagiotis


@PanagiotisCharalampous

PattyTradeTeam
09 Nov 2024, 13:23

RE: Two years testing cTrader, and now the troubles of 5.0.40

PanagiotisCharalampous 

Ok, so since cTrader already has many functionalities please

  1. concentrate on correcting bugs
  2. and don't publish new versions unless they are clearly called “beta” which do not force users to update.

From our side, we only try to give good feedback how to improve and correct, cTrader is a beautiful project and we all desire that it as much performing as possible !


@PattyTradeTeam