ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
Comparison · Analytics
dietr vs grex
A side-by-side editorial comparison of dietr and grex — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
dietr vs grex: at a glance
What is dietr?
A fish diet package whose release history is really a record of surviving rfishbase.
dietr computes diet and trophic indices for fish from FishBase-style data, including electivity measures and composite indices. Its recent releases exist because upstream rfishbase changes repeatedly broke it — the latest pair restore functionality after a break severe enough to get the package removed from CRAN, while adding GII, MFI and Windell significance to the composite indices. The 1.1.6-1 patch restates the same notes as 1.1.6.
What is grex?
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
dietr vs grex: editorial side-by-side
dietr
0.0ANALYTICS
A fish diet package whose release history is really a record of surviving rfishbase.
◆ Current state
dietr computes diet and trophic indices for fish from FishBase-style data, including electivity measures and composite indices. Its recent releases exist because upstream rfishbase changes repeatedly broke it — the latest pair restore functionality after a break severe enough to get the package removed from CRAN, while adding GII, MFI and Windell significance to the composite indices. The 1.1.6-1 patch restates the same notes as 1.1.6.
◆ Where it's heading
Almost every release in this window names an upstream dependency as its cause: rfishbase updates in four of them, duckdb in another. The genuine methodological additions arrive bundled inside those repair releases rather than on their own. That is a fragile position for a package whose core value is convenient access to a remote database.
◆ Prediction
The next release most likely follows the next rfishbase change; new indices will probably continue to ride along with compatibility repairs.
grex
0.0ANALYTICS
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
◆ Current state
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
◆ Where it's heading
The annotation refreshes stopped. Between 2017 and 2019 the package tracked org.Hs.eg.db through four versions and added the GTEx V7 identifier set; since then the reference has stood still while the releases turned to packaging. That gap matters more here than it would elsewhere — a stale mapping table silently returns outdated symbols rather than failing, so the package's core asset ages invisibly.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries signals a planned data refresh, and the six-year pattern suggests the next release will again be infrastructure. Users needing current annotations should check which org.Hs.eg.db version is bundled rather than assume the version number reflects it.
Alternatives to dietr and grex
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 dietr or grex.
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.
ggmagnify
A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.
symengine
An R symbolic-maths binding whose changelog is really the C++ core's release notes.
Recent activity from dietr and grex
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agogrexgrex 1.9.1: pkgdown on Actions, smaller vignette
- 1y agodietrPatch re-release of the 1.1.6 rfishbase repair
- 1y agodietrRestores CRAN compatibility; adds GII, MFI and Windell indices
- 1y agodietrrfishbase compatibility fixes
- 3y agodietrduckdb and rfishbase compatibility fixes
- 4y agodietrElectivity abundance fix invalidates some earlier results
- 4y agodietrMemory fix in diet conversion; rfishbase repair
- 7y agogrexgrex 1.9 refreshes the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.8.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.8 adds GTEx V7 IDs, updates to org.Hs.eg.db 3.6.0
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.7 updates the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.4.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.6 drops Google Fonts from vignettes
- 9y agogrexgrex 1.5 adds a pkgdown site and refreshes the reference
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dietr and grex?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. dietr and grex 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 dietr better than grex?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. dietr and grex 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 dietr?
Top dietr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "dietr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dietr-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to grex?
Top grex alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "grex alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/grex-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.