How does PipCop choose a robot to review?

[PipCop]

As I get many requests to review and EA, you may want to know how I choose an EA to review.

1. I check the Submit EA discussion thread, and pick them in order.
2. Are there any back tests?
3. Are there any forward tests?
4. Is the EA is available for public download or purchase?
5. Is the author is available for assistance?
6. Does the company/author seem legitimate?
7. Is the EA fully functional, or is it crippled?

Many of the problems I face do not serve the community well. I feel that any EA I review should be one that can be used by the community.

However, I get many emails from people asking for an EA to be reviewed, but they are missing important information. Therefore, I ask people to follow the directions in the Submit EA thread. This makes it easier for me to have all the information in one place, and saves me considerable time setting up an EA. In addition, it then becomes difficult to track who suggested an EA first, because it's hard to compare the time received via email to the thread. If all suggestions are in one place, that solves that.

If an author has never tested live, then an EA is worthless to me. I want to be sure an author actually is taking a risk with their code as well. Why should I put up my time or money to test your EA if you don't trust it to make money? PipCop is not a QA service for developers.

In addition, if an EA does not perform well (perhaps only minor gains) I will discontinue testing. The point is to make money, not let it sit.

If the code is crippled, perhaps missing important features, or is a demo piece, I may opt to discontinue testing it if I even test it at all. All EAs should be fully functional!

Finally, the EA should be in a position to let other people use it, either by providing the source code for free, or a link to a site where people can purchase it. The author should be able to offer assistance with the EA as well. There is no point in testing something that cannot be obtained and does not offer support.

The goal is to find an EA that works and can be supported over time. Easy enough, huh?