easystats
The easystats meta-package is install tooling wrapped around a relicensed ecosystem.
Comparison · Analytics
desirability2 vs pins
A side-by-side editorial comparison of desirability2 and pins — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
desirability2 vs pins: at a glance
What is desirability2?
desirability2 is making multi-metric model selection a first-class tidymodels step.
desirability2 implements desirability functions, which map several metrics onto a common 0-1 scale so they can be combined into a single objective. The package is young: three releases, the first of which only added a NEWS file. Its substance arrived in 0.1.0 with hooks into tidymodels' tune package.
What is pins?
pins keeps adding a storage backend per release while retiring its original API
pins publishes and versions R objects to a board, where a board is whatever storage you have. The recent releases read as a steady list of new boards - Google Cloud Storage, Google Drive, Databricks Volumes, Connect vanity URLs - alongside serialization changes that track which formats R users actually want: parquet via nanoparquet, and qs replaced by qs2.
desirability2 vs pins: editorial side-by-side
desirability2
0.0ANALYTICS
desirability2 is making multi-metric model selection a first-class tidymodels step.
◆ Current state
desirability2 implements desirability functions, which map several metrics onto a common 0-1 scale so they can be combined into a single objective. The package is young: three releases, the first of which only added a NEWS file. Its substance arrived in 0.1.0 with hooks into tidymodels' tune package.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is integration rather than standalone use. Version 0.1.0 added select_best_desirability() and show_best_desirability() to resolve a tuning run against several metrics at once; 0.2.0 exported make_desirability_cols() so other packages can build on it and made data-driven limits the default, removing the need to state ranges by hand. Both releases move work from the user into the package.
◆ Prediction
The exported helper and the developer-facing desirability() API point to adoption by other tidymodels packages as the next step rather than new functionality here.
pins
0.0ANALYTICS
pins keeps adding a storage backend per release while retiring its original API
◆ Current state
pins publishes and versions R objects to a board, where a board is whatever storage you have. The recent releases read as a steady list of new boards - Google Cloud Storage, Google Drive, Databricks Volumes, Connect vanity URLs - alongside serialization changes that track which formats R users actually want: parquet via nanoparquet, and qs replaced by qs2.
◆ Where it's heading
Two long-running processes, neither dramatic. Backend coverage expands toward wherever teams already store artifacts, which increasingly means Databricks and cloud object storage rather than a shared drive. Meanwhile the legacy pin() API from before the board model has been in a staged deprecation across at least three releases, escalated each time rather than removed.
◆ Prediction
Expect another board or two as storage platforms are requested, and the legacy pin() functions to finally become errors; the format list will keep tracking whichever serializer the R community settles on.
Alternatives to desirability2 and pins
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 desirability2 or pins.
discrim
discrim settled into a thin engine shim after handing its model definitions to parsnip.
dbparser
dbparser shed its database and CSV writers to become just a DrugBank parser.
crosstalk
crosstalk is frozen infrastructure: four releases in five years, mostly CRAN upkeep.
cmdstanr
cmdstanr keeps adding fast approximations beside full HMC, and fighting Windows toolchains.
comtradr
comtradr's 1.0 line is a long tail of patches against a brittle UN trade API.
See all desirability2 alternatives → · See all pins alternatives →
Recent activity from desirability2 and pins
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5mo agopinsqs2 replaces qs; pins can be written in multiple formats
- 11mo agodesirability2make_desirability_cols() exported; data-driven limits on by default
- 1y agodesirability2Desirability-based model selection added for tune ⚡
- 1y agopinsPin previews on Connect; Databricks host normalization
- 1y agopinsAdds board_databricks() and switches parquet to nanoparquet
- 2y agopinspin_write() arguments must be named; Connect caches removed
- 2y agopinsMessage clarity and Google Drive dribble handling
- 2y agopinsboard_gdrive() added; cache location configurable
- 3y agodesirability2NEWS.md added to track package changes
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between desirability2 and pins?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. desirability2 and pins 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 desirability2 better than pins?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. desirability2 and pins 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 desirability2?
Top desirability2 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "desirability2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/desirability2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to pins?
Top pins alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "pins alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/pins-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.