Richard -
Given that they're able to present the appropriate logo (Platinum, Gold, etc.), they are picking up the customer's rating when one logs onto the site. I am, or was, a programmer (in fact, I worked for Schwab for 8 years) and yes they could have an architecture that incorporates separate server farms each dedicated to a specific user class i.e. one farm for Platinum, one for Gold, one for Silver, one for 'standard' but its more efficient, in terms of budget, just to have one huge server farm that serves all classes of customers. They minimize excess/unused capacity in that manner.
Re: Velocity. I agree with you. I think if you're an extremely active trader (multiple trades per day) with multiple accounts, Velocity may offer some benefit. But at that, it can't compete in terms of commissions/executions with platforms like RealTick/CyberTrader/etc. Otherwise, given the current state of the software, the benefits are minimal. The good news is they are willing to acknowledge Velocity's shortcomings. Whether or not they improve on those shortcomings remains to be seen. |
