Writing your own software

[Actor]

I'm wondering how many others here write their own handicapping software. What language do they use? I'm thinking of trying to learn Java and/or Python.

I presently use Pascal, even though it's antiquated, because I once used that language professionally and it is the language I'm most familiar with.

Anyone use Basic or Fortran?

[headhawg]

I have programmed several small-ish handicapping programs mostly for personal use or system testing. There are also a couple of programs here on PA that I developed or had a hand in, namely Handifast (helped with some of the code) and HDST, a program I developed to eliminate scratched horse data from .drf and .jcp files. Handifast was programmed in Liberty Basic, and HDST was coded in PowerBasic and EZGUI.

I tried to learn OOP using C#, and there are significant advantages to that kind of programming, but it never really clicked with me so I stuck with Basic. LB is slow so I moved on from that to PB. PB programs run really fast and are small EXEs when compiled. Professional coders probably use C/C++ but I am sure that some less complicated programs are done in Java or Python. Maybe Dave Schwartz and Jeff Platt will post in this thread as their software is professional level.

Every language has its pros and cons so choose something that fits your needs. If Pascal will work for you then use it. Learning a new language increases software development time so that is a consideration if you decide to go in a different direction.

[Augenj]

I use VB.Net from Microsoft. It doesn't even resemble its predecessors, Basic and Visual Basic. Once you learn the editor (IDE), you'll find that it's very powerful and guides you through your coding with helpful suggestions. I use it to develop and maintain Top Horse Analytics which shows up here as Free Pick Of The Day and Weekly Statistics.

[CheckMark]

I would like to also build a software, mostly like the RDSS segments screen when it shows where the horses might be in the race along with a printable report of the top 4 picks in the race by what the software said. I think I could make this in about a few months but the buying of all the data might be a costly one.

[JJMartin]

VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) aka Microsoft Excel Macro language, along with various basic and complex formulas. Excel is very versatile and flexible making it a great choice for race data manipulation, analysis and even databasing to an extent. I have created several programs over the years and I can say there is no substitute for experience. There is quite a bit of work involved in this endeavor.

[BCOURTNEY]

I'm wondering how many others here write their own handicapping software. What language do they use? I'm thinking of trying to learn Java and/or Python.

I presently use Pascal, even though it's antiquated, because I once used that language professionally and it is the language I'm most familiar with.

Anyone use Basic or Fortran?

C#, easy hooks into a SQL back end and lowest cost, most examples, etc. You can then web / mobile enable the app etc, Microsoft has the IDE/Development market wrapped up unless your idea of a IDE is Emacs in some obscure text environment that is impossible to get useful work done or have anyone else understand quickly.

The guy who wrote C# at Microsoft, came from Borland (Delphi programming language was an extension of Object Pascal FYI)

[JerryBoyle]

I've spent the last few years developing an analysis/wagering platform. It's entirely python for most data analysis and infrastructure with c++ for things that need to be performant e.g. certain models, bet sizing algorithms, etc. My choice of languages was entirely based on familiarity and not some analysis of best tool for the job. That said, coming from a career as a software engineer on trading desks, python/c++ is a very common pattern, and python would be my recommendation if you're looking to get started. Where it might be a question mark would be for certain desktop applications, but even then I'd build a python service for all data analysis and connect that to whatever language I used for the GUI.