Hello Fellow ChartWatchers!
Is the two-month old rally coming to a end now that April has arrived? The Dow's PPO is tantalizingly close to a bearish crossover right now. Arthur Hill sees weakness in the S&P 500 while Tom Bowley still sees opportunities. Read their thoughts below for more details.
The Road Ahead
At StockCharts, we are constantly improving the website. Recently, we've begun transitioning from using Sun's Java to power our interactive tools to using Adobe's Flash. There are several reasons for this change:
- Flash works for more people - Our customer support team gets at least 4 or 5 complaints every week from someone having problems with Java that we can't solve. So far, we have not had any complaints from someone who can't get Flash to work.
- Flash starts faster - Most new people who visit our website have already visited a site with some Flash content, thus when they start a Flash program on our site, it starts very quickly. Java can take up to 60 seconds to begin running our program.
- Flash allows us to create richer, more interactive tools. Flash provides us with better looking graphics and animation effects that we plan on incorporating into our tools very soon.
- Because Flash is quicker to start, it can be integrated into other tools - specifically the SharpCharts workbench. Check out my "Inspector" announcement below for an example.
We realize that for some people, running Flash-based tools presents a problem so for now we will continue to provide Java-based versions of our current tools as well.
During this transition, we have been working on a Flash-based version of our ChartNotes annotation tool. The goal of that tool has been to copy the look and feel of the Java version as closely as possible. At this point we think we've done that. People who have used the Java version for years should be able to use the Flash version and feel right at home. Please let us know if that is not the case.
Given that the Flash version and the Java version are almost identical, people have been asking "Which one should I use? Why should I change over to Flash?"
At this point, everyone should be trying to use the Flash version of ChartNotes and only use the Java version if they experience problems.
"The Inspector" - The Start of an Exciting Future
As to "Why Should I Change to Flash Now?", a key reason is because a new feature will soon appear that you will probably want to use and that new feature relies on Flash's speed and better looking graphics capabilities. We call it "The Inspector" and we are starting a Beta testing period for it today.
"The Inspector" allows you to mouse over ANY SharpChart and see the values of any point on the chart without needing to go into ChartNotes. It gives you a set of light-gray, moveable crosshairs and a data box that follow your mouse when it is over the chart.
This screenshot doesn't really do it justice, you need to see it in action. Fortunately, you can take The Inspector for a limited test drive by clicking here.
Because "The Inspector" is so small and fast, we are going to be able to "build it in" to the SharpCharts Workbench. The idea is that soon all of the charts on the workbench page can be "inspected" just by mousing over them. The current "test drive" page doesn't give you full access to the workbench yet, but it will soon.
We are still actively working on "The Inspector" and will probably make some changes before it is officially released. Still we'd like to hear your feedback on this new tool and our new Flash-based direction.
Happy Easter everyone!
- Chip
