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ageproR vs units

A side-by-side editorial comparison of ageproR and units — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

ageproR vs units: at a glance

FeatureageproRunits
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesfisheries-science, stock-assessment, r-package, file-format-validationmeasurement units, r package, udunits2, breaking parser change
Last editorial update44m ago4h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is ageproR?

ageproR spent two years chasing a moving file format, then added the recruitment models that justify the effort.

An R interface for building and validating AGEPRO input files — the configuration format for a fisheries stock projection program used in stock assessments. Releases come every few months and are dominated by one recurring problem: keeping up with the AGEPRO input file format, which has moved between VERSION 4.0 and VERSION 4.25 in both directions across this window. The package spends considerable effort on validation, version detection, and clear error messages when a file does not match.

Read the full ageproR trajectory →

What is units?

units reaches 1.0 by rewriting its parser and accepting the breakage that comes with it.

units attaches physical units to R vectors on top of the udunits2 library, covering arithmetic, conversion and ggplot2 scales. Version 1.0-0 replaced the unit-expression tokenizer so numbers are consistently treated as prefixes, and expressions like ml/min/1.73m^2 now parse the way physiologists write them. Printing follows NIST conventions, and 1.0-1 is a fix pass over memory handling and parser edge cases.

Read the full units trajectory →

ageproR vs units: editorial side-by-side

A
ageproR
ANALYTICS
0.0

ageproR spent two years chasing a moving file format, then added the recruitment models that justify the effort.

◆ Current state

An R interface for building and validating AGEPRO input files — the configuration format for a fisheries stock projection program used in stock assessments. Releases come every few months and are dominated by one recurring problem: keeping up with the AGEPRO input file format, which has moved between VERSION 4.0 and VERSION 4.25 in both directions across this window. The package spends considerable effort on validation, version detection, and clear error messages when a file does not match.

◆ Where it's heading

The version-format churn is settling. Release 0.7.1 reverted the default back to VERSION 4.0 as a bugfix, and 0.9.0 finally set 4.25 as current while retaining a 4.0 compatibility string and improving the detection messages — a resolution rather than another reversal. With that stabilising, the substantive work has been the recruitment model coverage added in 0.8.0, which brought autocorrelated lognormal error structures into the package for the first time. Naming has been converging too, with output_stock_summary and summary_output_flag renamed to auxiliary variants to match the AGEPRO-GUI specification.

◆ Prediction

Expect the remaining recruitment models to be filled in against the AGEPRO specification, and the version handling to stay on 4.25 now that both formats are supported and validated rather than swapped.

U
units
ANALYTICS
0.0

units reaches 1.0 by rewriting its parser and accepting the breakage that comes with it.

◆ Current state

units attaches physical units to R vectors on top of the udunits2 library, covering arithmetic, conversion and ggplot2 scales. Version 1.0-0 replaced the unit-expression tokenizer so numbers are consistently treated as prefixes, and expressions like ml/min/1.73m^2 now parse the way physiologists write them. Printing follows NIST conventions, and 1.0-1 is a fix pass over memory handling and parser edge cases.

◆ Where it's heading

The long 0.8-x run was accretion — ggplot2 scales absorbed from ggforce, ud_convert(), matrix methods, steady performance work — while known parsing defects stayed in place. The 1.0 release finally traded backwards compatibility for correct parsing, and 1.0-1's pointer-wrapping and exception-propagation work suggests the C++ glue is being hardened behind it. Fixes cluster at the udunits2 boundary, which remains the main source of surprises.

◆ Prediction

Expect continued patch releases against udunits2 quirks and the new tokenizer's fallout rather than new surface area, with the ggplot2 integration and conversion helpers already in place.

Alternatives to ageproR and units

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either ageproR or units.

See all ageproR alternatives → · See all units alternatives →

Recent activity from ageproR and units

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2mo agoageproRwrite_inp option flag detection fixed after 0.8.0 dependency changes
  2. 5mo agounitsMemory-leak and udunits2 parsing fixes after 1.0
  3. 6mo agoageproRAGEPRO VERSION 4.25 becomes the default format, with 4.0 kept compatible
  4. 10mo agounitsNew tokenizer parses compound units correctly
  5. 1y agoageproRFour recruitment models added, including autocorrelated lognormal error
  6. 1y agoageproRagepro_inp_model initialisation aligned with the other model classes
  7. 1y agounitsCopy semantics fix in ud_convert(); C++17 for old R
  8. 1y agounitscbind/rbind methods, ud_convert() and broad fixes
  9. 1y agounitsSilences a CRAN compiler warning
  10. 1y agoageproRVersion string read from line 1; invalid recruitment data blocks export
  11. 1y agoageproRInput file format reverted to VERSION 4.0 as a bugfix
  12. 2y agounitsRestores simplify=FALSE for identical units

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ageproR and units?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. ageproR and units are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is ageproR better than units?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ageproR and units are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to ageproR?

Top ageproR alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ageproR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/agepror-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to units?

Top units alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "units alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/units-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.