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deeptime vs silx

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

Shared themes:data-visualization

deeptime vs silx: at a glance

Featuredeeptimesilx
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesggplot2-extension, geology, phylogenetics, deprecationscientific-computing, data-visualization, synchrotron, qt
Last editorial update3d ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is deeptime?

A geologic-time plotting layer that outgrew time axes and became a geology rendering toolkit.

deeptime extends ggplot2 with geological time scales, radial deep-time coordinates and phylogeny-aware geoms, and since 2.0.0 it also renders standardized FGDC/USGS geologic patterns as ggplot2 fills. The current 2.4.0 release adds geom_text_clade() for labeling clades on radial phylogenies and repairs long-standing coord_trans_xy() and scale-placement edge cases.

Read the full deeptime trajectory →

What is silx?

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

Read the full silx trajectory →

deeptime vs silx: editorial side-by-side

D
deeptime
ANALYTICS
0.0

A geologic-time plotting layer that outgrew time axes and became a geology rendering toolkit.

◆ Current state

deeptime extends ggplot2 with geological time scales, radial deep-time coordinates and phylogeny-aware geoms, and since 2.0.0 it also renders standardized FGDC/USGS geologic patterns as ggplot2 fills. The current 2.4.0 release adds geom_text_clade() for labeling clades on radial phylogenies and repairs long-standing coord_trans_xy() and scale-placement edge cases.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is converging on two jobs: being the canonical R renderer for stratigraphic drawing conventions, and keeping pace with ggplot2's own churn. A sustained deprecation program — gggeo_scale(), coord_geo_polar(), getScaleData(), now disparity_through_time() — is trimming the surface down to coord_geo(), coord_geo_radial() and the pattern functions. Roughly half of each recent release is ggplot2 4.0 compatibility work.

◆ Prediction

Expect disparity_through_time() and coord_geo_polar() to be removed outright in the next major version, and further geoms aimed at annotating radial phylogenies.

S
silx
ANALYTICS
5.0

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

◆ Current state

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

◆ Where it's heading

The cadence has slowed markedly since April, and the content has shifted from structural change to plotting and colormap refinement. That is the expected shape after a binding migration: downstream beamline code needs a stable target, so the project trades feature velocity for a quiet surface. The gap between 3.0.1 in May and 3.1.0 in August is the clearest signal of the deliberate slowdown.

◆ Prediction

Expect further point releases servicing the plotting and fitting widgets rather than another structural change, with feature work continuing to arrive in the 3.1.x minors rather than patches.

Alternatives to deeptime and silx

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 deeptime or silx.

See all deeptime alternatives → · See all silx alternatives →

Recent activity from deeptime and silx

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

  1. 5h agosilxFitWidget fix for loading a fit function from file
  2. 9d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
  3. 1mo agodeeptimegeom_text_clade() labels clades on radial phylogenies
  4. 3mo agosilx3.0.1: silx view fails to disable HDF5 file locking
  5. 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required
  6. 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
  7. 8mo agodeeptimeArgument renames for ggplot2 4.0 parity
  8. 9mo agodeeptimePattern code dictionary and time-scale theming
  9. 1y agodeeptimegeom_text_phylo() arrives with ggplot2 4 compatibility
  10. 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
  11. 1y agodeeptimeContrast-aware label colors across the built-in scales
  12. 1y agodeeptimeFGDC geologic patterns become ggplot2 fills

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between deeptime and silx?

Both compete on the same themes — data-visualization — within Analytics. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is deeptime better than silx?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to deeptime?

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

What are the best alternatives to silx?

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