qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
austraits vs windex
A side-by-side editorial comparison of austraits and windex — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
austraits vs windex: at a glance
What is austraits?
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
austraits is the R access layer for the AusTraits plant trait database, and its release history is almost entirely a record of keeping pace with two upstream systems it does not control: the austraits.build data releases and the Zenodo archive that hosts them. The most recent release adds a version-dispatch layer so the same package can read both v4.x and v5.0.0 data. Three of the four visible tags were backfilled to GitHub within 23 minutes of each other, so version order and publication order do not agree.
What is windex?
Steady, unglamorous upkeep on a niche phylogenetic adaptation index.
windex calculates the Wheatsheaf index for measuring adaptation in a phylogenetic comparative framework, with supporting simulation tests and node-distance tooling. Recent releases have loosened the input format requirements, improved troubleshooting in treedatacheck, and added a barplot for fitted logistic regression models. The package's analytic core is unchanged across the visible window.
austraits vs windex: editorial side-by-side
austraits
0.0ANALYTICS
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
◆ Current state
austraits is the R access layer for the AusTraits plant trait database, and its release history is almost entirely a record of keeping pace with two upstream systems it does not control: the austraits.build data releases and the Zenodo archive that hosts them. The most recent release adds a version-dispatch layer so the same package can read both v4.x and v5.0.0 data. Three of the four visible tags were backfilled to GitHub within 23 minutes of each other, so version order and publication order do not agree.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is converging on a stable public vocabulary and a versioned internal. Sites became locations across every join, plot and extract function; the extract_ and print family filled out at 1.0.0; and by 2.2.2 the core functions each carry a switch on the detected data version rather than assuming one schema. The visible cost of that is dependency churn — plotting packages moved to Suggests, which the notes admit can leave core functions unable to run.
◆ Prediction
Given that every release so far has been triggered by an upstream austraits.build or Zenodo change, the next one most likely follows the next data release rather than any independent roadmap. The entries do not indicate new analysis capability being planned in the client itself.
windex
0.0ANALYTICS
Steady, unglamorous upkeep on a niche phylogenetic adaptation index.
◆ Current state
windex calculates the Wheatsheaf index for measuring adaptation in a phylogenetic comparative framework, with supporting simulation tests and node-distance tooling. Recent releases have loosened the input format requirements, improved troubleshooting in treedatacheck, and added a barplot for fitted logistic regression models. The package's analytic core is unchanged across the visible window.
◆ Where it's heading
Every release in this window is a variation on the same theme: make existing functions easier to use and their plots easier to customise. Some releases exist only to satisfy CRAN policy changes with no functional difference. This is a stable single-purpose package where usability friction, not method development, drives the work.
◆ Prediction
Expect further small usability and plotting additions on the same roughly annual cadence; nothing here points to new methods.
Alternatives to austraits and windex
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 austraits or windex.
constants
The R package for CODATA constants rebuilt its symbol table on NIST's naming so future updates stop being hand work.
ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
fossilsim
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
tern.mmrm
An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.
See all austraits alternatives → · See all windex alternatives →
Recent activity from austraits and windex
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agowindexRelaxes input formats; adds logistic regression barplots
- 2y agowindexwindex 2.0.8
- 2y agowindexnodeDist returns age distributions; plot axes customisable
- 2y agoaustraitsSupport for AusTraits 5.0.0 data and the rebuilt Zenodo API
- 2y agowindexCRAN policy compliance release, no functional change
- 3y agoaustraitsextract_taxa, lookup_trait and print methods arrive
- 3y agoaustraitsVignette build and extract_ function polish
- 3y agoaustraitssite becomes location across the API; AusTraits 3.0.2+ support
- 5y agowindexMerges sister-clade functions into richYuleInputs
- 5y agowindexAdds modSel.geiger for geiger model selection tables
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between austraits and windex?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. austraits and windex 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 austraits better than windex?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. austraits and windex 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 austraits?
Top austraits alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "austraits alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/austraits-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to windex?
Top windex alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "windex alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/windex-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.