EdgeWare FastBreak Standard Version 6.5 - Manual (Page 4)

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1.0 Preface
Note: A PDF copy of this manual is on your installation disk. We recommend you put
a copy on your computer so you will always have a copy available.
This manual supports both Standard FastBreak and FastBreak Pro. FastBreak Pro users
will see additional icons on the icon tool bar and two extra pull down menus. The addi-
tional FastBreak Pro screens, and optimizer functionality activated by these icons, are
covered in the second manual that comes with the FastBreak Pro software. When we re-
fer to FastBreak in this manual it will always apply to both Standard FastBreak and Fast-
Break Pro unless otherwise noted. Also, when we refer to mutual funds in the manual
this will also apply to stocks unless otherwise noted.
Don’t let all the parameter boxes, icons, and fancy techno terms intimidate you. We can
tell you that if you read the manuals and run the examples provided you will quickly de-
velop an appreciation for FastBreak.
Anyone who has attended a FastTrack user group meeting or conference knows that Fast-
Track users span a very wide range of experience levels.
Using FastBreak requires
knowledge of computers, investing terminology, FastTrack, as well as FastBreak. With
this variation in the audience knowledge base, it is always a struggle to know the right
amount of detail to address all these issues. We can never make the software and manual
simple enough for the new investor, and never add enough complexity for the “power
user.”
We have put options in FastBreak that many users will never use and there is
nothing wrong with that. If there is an option you don’t understand on the initial reading
of the manual, don’t activate it; come back to it at a later time as your experience grows.
One mistake some users of FastBreak make is to start out activating all the options and
choosing the most complicated strategies. A considerable amount of error checking of
user inputs has been incorporated to make the software crash resistant, but it is possible to
get errors and crashes. If you start out making several changes to a run and then get an
error, it will be very difficult to determine what went wrong. We provide examples that
are good starting places. Start slowly. You can setup the examples with a minimum
amount of effort, make one or two small changes to customize to your needs, and be on
your way.
As you want to go deeper into designing trading systems you may want to checkout the
resources we listed in the Resources chapter.