When you’re running off Windows XP or Vista, technical analysis (TA) software abound. But make a switch to Linux, and all of a sudden, you have (almost) nothing left. Sure, you can always use web-based services, but they’re never as responsive or full-featured as their desktop cousins.

Thank god for Qtstalker then, as this open-source TA package packs a mean punch (and development is back on track too!). A whole pot of options is available, all the way from custom indicators to backtesting and a paper trading mode (haven’t tried this yet but it seems like a good idea for beginners in the art ).

A Windows equivalent would probably be Quotetracker, though there are certainly differences in terms of power and their user interfaces. In my opinion, Quotetracker’s UI is a level above Qtstalker, and that’s probably the key benefit from having a large user base. But while Quotetracker comes packed with a fixed set of indicators (more are added in every release or so though), Qtstalker has a scripting facility to create your own custom indicators. Backtesting is also another advantage Qtstalker has over Quotetracker.

More importantly, Qtstalker is absolutely free. No registration/subscription necessary to unlock longer backfills and historical charts unlike Quotetracker. But in terms of real-time feed and trading account support, Quotetracker definitely has the edge. Nevertheless, both easily draw upon end-of-day data from Yahoo and CSV files.

Overall, I would say that Qtstalker is pretty good if you’re looking for a pure analysis package. It’s also ideal for beginners given that it draws free EOD data from Yahoo and has a paper trading mode. So, if you’re on Linux or dual-boot a distribution or two, give it a look.