[MT5 Migration Period] Why are there few MT5 tools? Behind the "code wall" and the truly blazing-fast environment learned by using it
I am Meister.
This article is a unique technical perspective, so please understand in advance.
■What are the advantages of MT5?
First, as a premise, let's look at the differences in the quantity and ratio of free indicators.
It is not because “everyone finds migrating to MT5 troublesome.”
The main reason is that,if you port MT4 code (MQL4) literally and simply, invisible fatal bugs and processing delays occur due to a technical “code wall.”
Tools that have been ported just by patching existing code are dangerous in practice as they are prone to malfunction.
The fundamental language and structure of the code are different in the first place.
That’s why I suspect the market has few “free MT5 tools.”
■When you fundamentally clear the “structural wall,” the true value of MT5 shines
However, when you optimize and build from scratch to fit MT5 specifications, it delivers performance far beyond MT4.
The most noticeable difference in experience is that the speed of bulk closing multiple positions is overwhelmingly fast.
MT4, no matter how much you refine the code, is limited to a single thread (one path), and
there was a structural limitation where closing multiple positions in bulk proceeded “one by one in sequence, causing lag.”
On the other hand, MT5’s internal threading is highly parallelized, so the processing behind the scenes closes multiple positions in an instant.
When the market suddenly moves and you want to exit multiple positions as quickly as possible, this speed difference directly affects the trader’s account balance (acceptable loss).
It’s not just that MT5 is new; it’s a choice to physically reduce delays in orders and settlements that could be a matter of life or death on the field.
■Behind the advantages lies MT5’s real-world drawbacks
Of course, it isn’t all good news.
There are traps that trouble developers and heavy users.
1. Silent incorporation due to frequent build updates
MT4 is stable as it is a dormant technology since development has stopped, but MT5 is in the midst of evolution right now.
Therefore, every update from MetaQuotes can cause indicators and button drawings that previously worked to suddenly stop working or behave oddly.
There may be anomalies in behavior.
※ actually, we have confirmed bugs arising in the most recent few updates (sweat).
If updates are frequent in a short period and the normal operation of tools you use starts to feel off, you may want to suspect bugs caused by updates.
2. Difficulty in isolating the cause of trouble
When trouble occurs, pinpointing the cause is extremely difficult.
For a typical trader, identifying whether the culprit is “your PC environment,” “tool issues,” or “core MT5 bugs caused by updates” is a challenging task.
As a developer, I am constantly at risk of being buffeted by capricious platform updates.
3. Tool coordination and compatibility issues
If tools are created without addressing the above, they can slow down charts or, in worst cases, cause freezes.
■Honestly, I’ve been burned by update misfires too (laughs)
“Huh? The button won’t press.” “Something feels laggy…” When trouble occurs, what’s particularly troublesome is how hard it is to isolate the cause.
In the times I got stuck before, it was exactly a “threefold ordeal.”
“Is it my code that’s bad?!” and tinkering with code late at night
“Is it a build bug in MT5 itself?!” and scouring foreign forums
“Is it a PC problem?!” and opening Task Manager to find thata single CPU thread was pegged at 100%, making me shudder (laugh)
Determining whether the cause lies in the code, MT5 itself, or the PC’s CPU behavior was a truly stomach-churning experience.
■In conclusion
That’s why in this series (Trade Toolbox) we relentlessly cut unnecessary code and pursue an “ultra-lightweight design,”
and we continue to focus on a structure that minimizes the impact of MT5 core updates.
In the unlikely event of update-related issues, we have established a system to quickly identify the cause and respond, so please feel free to use with confidence.
If you’re interested, please come visit here