Many of the items discussed in this pre-article seem way overkill for what the author seems to be trying to do. It doesn't take much to create an account with a reputable broker like Interactive Brokers that has a good live API for auto-trading (and support paper trading to test your code without using real cash). There are no upfront fees on many brokers and the commission is often minimal depending on the transaction. eTrade has similar APIs. Historical data is available at minimal cost through a sites like eoddata.com. Also, especially if you're just starting and experimenting with formulas, using your personal laptop/desktop with a live feed from IB is more than enough to act on live tick data for the symbols you're interested in.