Imported from previous forum
[ original email was from Will Walter - will_walter@dbna.com ]
Has anyone looked at the SYCOM fix specification? I received a copy from Greg Gibson from the SFE. Greg, perhaps you could forward a copy of the spec to the group?
I think it would be a good idea to look at this specification and try to understand what changes were needed that the FIX spec did not have.
Were the changes mostly to handle market data? That was my take when I took an initial look. I think this may make a good topic of discussion for going forward with the next Fix spec release.
> Has anyone looked at the SYCOM fix specification? I received a copy from Greg Gibson from the SFE. Greg, perhaps you could forward a copy of the spec to the group?
>
> I think it would be a good idea to look at this specification and try to understand what changes were needed that the FIX spec did not have.
>
> Were the changes mostly to handle market data? That was my take when I took an initial look. I think this may make a good topic of discussion for going forward with the next Fix spec release.
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>
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> I would very much like to see a copy of the Spec. I had a telephone conversation with a Carla Geller of TMI (the company which has produced the SYCOM spec.) on (312) 986 1600. She is consulting with her colleagues and will get back to say if they have any problem with there specification going into the public domain. It seems clear to me it is in everyone’s best interest (including the Sydney Futures Exchange and TMI themselves) not to have a proprietry version of FIX for Futures and Options trading. As I understand it at present the main extentions to the existing 4.1 spec. concern extra fields for Commodities contracts
[ original email was from Witold Sames - wsames@bloomberg.net ]
I happen to be in possession of a copy of these specs. From my point of view, customizations of the protocol in the application layer are permissible and therefore just a question of the efforts you want to put into linking up for F&O trading. In that sense, the SYCOM specs are not a challenge, only about 30 custom fields are specified.
What is a little confusing for me is that certain session layer ‘rules’ are bent, like excluding the PossResend flag from use, or changing the contents of a Logon or Sequence Reset message. This is going to make communications a little difficult.
In addition, I doubt the usefulness of customizations of existing values for certain tags (for example, re-use of P and R in tag 18 for New Orders to mean 'R’etained or 'P’urged).
I am not trying to be all criticism, but if I were to customize FIX for use for F&O trading, this would be done on the application layer ALONE, and not influence the session layer. This is what makes FIX so flexible, after all.
PS: The CheckSum calculation example has been duly copied and pasted from the original FIX specs(therefore, it’s just as incorrect).
> > Has anyone looked at the SYCOM fix specification? I received a copy from Greg Gibson from the SFE. Greg, perhaps you could forward a copy of the spec to the group?
> >
> > I think it would be a good idea to look at this specification and try to understand what changes were needed that the FIX spec did not have.
> >
> > Were the changes mostly to handle market data? That was my take when I took an initial look. I think this may make a good topic of discussion for going forward with the next Fix spec release.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I would very much like to see a copy of the Spec. I had a telephone conversation with a Carla Geller of TMI (the company which has produced the SYCOM spec.) on (312) 986 1600. She is consulting with her colleagues and will get back to say if they have any problem with there specification going into the public domain. It seems clear to me it is in everyone’s best interest (including the Sydney Futures Exchange and TMI themselves) not to have a proprietry version of FIX for Futures and Options trading. As I understand it at present the main extentions to the existing 4.1 spec. concern extra fields for Commodities contracts
>
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