qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
bittermelon vs ggdemetra
A side-by-side editorial comparison of bittermelon and ggdemetra — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
bittermelon vs ggdemetra: at a glance
What is bittermelon?
bittermelon is growing from binary bitmaps toward greyscale and color glyphs
The package manipulates bitmap fonts and bitmaps in R, and the recent direction is widening what a glyph can be. v2.3.1 adds greyscale font support by reading the experimental yaff levels property into pixmap glyphs with alpha derived from the level fraction, and makes writing a multi-colored glyph an error rather than silently clamping it. Earlier releases built out the same surface: bm_extract(), an interactive pixel picker, data frame coercion, and format support for other packages' bitmap types.
What is ggdemetra?
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
ggdemetra is a thin, focused bridge: it puts RJDemetra's seasonal adjustment results — TRAMO-SEATS and X-13 models — into ggplot2 geoms and autoplot methods. Development runs in short bursts separated by long quiet stretches, and the most recent work has been correcting SI ratio handling rather than adding surface. The API is small enough that a single function rename counts as the notable change in a release.
bittermelon vs ggdemetra: editorial side-by-side
bittermelon
0.0ANALYTICS
bittermelon is growing from binary bitmaps toward greyscale and color glyphs
◆ Current state
The package manipulates bitmap fonts and bitmaps in R, and the recent direction is widening what a glyph can be. v2.3.1 adds greyscale font support by reading the experimental yaff levels property into pixmap glyphs with alpha derived from the level fraction, and makes writing a multi-colored glyph an error rather than silently clamping it. Earlier releases built out the same surface: bm_extract(), an interactive pixel picker, data frame coercion, and format support for other packages' bitmap types.
◆ Where it's heading
Two things are converging. The representation is moving beyond one-bit glyphs — pixmaps, color, and now greyscale levels with transparency — while the API gets stricter about the boundary between them, refusing to quietly downcast a color glyph on write. Separately, the package has been shedding weight: the embedded monobit copy was removed once it outgrew CRAN size limits, pushing format breadth onto a user-installed dependency.
◆ Prediction
Expect further greyscale and color work now that levels parsing exists — most likely writing that format rather than only reading it, since the write path is where the current release chose to draw a hard error instead.
ggdemetra
0.0ANALYTICS
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
◆ Current state
ggdemetra is a thin, focused bridge: it puts RJDemetra's seasonal adjustment results — TRAMO-SEATS and X-13 models — into ggplot2 geoms and autoplot methods. Development runs in short bursts separated by long quiet stretches, and the most recent work has been correcting SI ratio handling rather than adding surface. The API is small enough that a single function rename counts as the notable change in a release.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has been steadily completing its coverage of the seasonal adjustment output surface: component extractors and autoplot methods in 0.2.3, SI ratio plotting in 0.2.5, then two releases of corrections to make SI ratios behave under TRAMO-SEATS jSA models and when no seasonal component is exported. Alongside that, the naming is being tidied — y_forecast() became raw(), and init_ggplot() shortened the setup boilerplate. This reads as a package approaching the edge of its intended scope and spending its effort on correctness.
◆ Prediction
Two consecutive releases fixing SI ratios under TRAMO-SEATS suggest that code path is the least settled part of the package, so further corrections there are the most likely next move. The entries give no indication of new model families or plot types being planned.
Alternatives to bittermelon and ggdemetra
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 bittermelon or ggdemetra.
constants
The R package for CODATA constants rebuilt its symbol table on NIST's naming so future updates stop being hand work.
austraits
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
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 bittermelon alternatives → · See all ggdemetra alternatives →
Recent activity from bittermelon and ggdemetra
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agobittermelonGreyscale font reading arrives; color glyphs no longer clamp silently
- 6mo agobittermelonBitmap extraction and a supported-format predicate
- 1y agobittermelonData frame coercion and an interactive pixel picker
- 2y agobittermelonEmbedded monobit removed; broader format support now needs a manual install
- 2y agoggdemetrasiratio() fix when TRAMO-SEATS exports no seasonal component
- 2y agoggdemetraraw() replaces y_forecast(); new init_ggplot() helper
- 2y agoggdemetraRe-tagged moments later as 0.2.7
- 2y agobittermelonCombining-character test fixed after a Unicode package change
- 3y agoggdemetraSI ratio plotting functions land
- 3y agobittermelonHex fonts can be read selectively by code point
- 5y agoggdemetrats2df() conversion helper and geom_outlier date fix
- 6y agoggdemetrageom_arima no longer recomputes the model
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between bittermelon and ggdemetra?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. bittermelon and ggdemetra 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 bittermelon better than ggdemetra?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. bittermelon and ggdemetra 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 bittermelon?
Top bittermelon alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "bittermelon alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/bittermelon-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ggdemetra?
Top ggdemetra alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ggdemetra alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ggdemetra for the full list with editorial commentary on each.