broom.helpers
After eleven quiet months, the tidier under gtsummary is back to absorbing model classes.
Comparison · Analytics
Distributions.jl vs haze
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Distributions.jl and haze — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Distributions.jl vs haze: at a glance
What is Distributions.jl?
Julia's distribution library keeps filing down the edges where sampling meets array types
Distributions.jl ships small, frequent releases against a large and settled API surface. The newest release accepts any AbstractVecOrMat when sampling from an MvNormal, closing a reported case where rand! ran much slower for an AbstractMatrix than for a plain Matrix. Around it sits the usual mix of per-distribution correctness fixes, fitting support such as sufficient statistics and MLE for Chi and Chisq, and dependency pruning.
What is haze?
Mesh interpolation drops its custom fork dependency and sheds weight.
haze does per-vertex smoothing and interpolation on triangular meshes, aimed at mapping neuroimaging surface data between subjects, with k-d tree lookup and interpolation in C++. After three years dormant it has shipped twice in a month: a modernization pass to get through R CMD check, and now the removal of its dependency on a custom Rvcg build. It has never been on CRAN because of package size.
Distributions.jl vs haze: editorial side-by-side
Distributions.jl
5.0ANALYTICS
Julia's distribution library keeps filing down the edges where sampling meets array types
◆ Current state
Distributions.jl ships small, frequent releases against a large and settled API surface. The newest release accepts any AbstractVecOrMat when sampling from an MvNormal, closing a reported case where rand! ran much slower for an AbstractMatrix than for a plain Matrix. Around it sits the usual mix of per-distribution correctness fixes, fitting support such as sufficient statistics and MLE for Chi and Chisq, and dependency pruning.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc is consolidation rather than expansion, and this release is a clean example: the fix is not a new distribution but a signature loosened so the library behaves the same whatever array type callers hand it. Together with earlier sparsity tracing through constructors and looser MvNormal type aliases, the direction is a package that composes predictably with the rest of the Julia numerical stack instead of one that grows new surface.
◆ Prediction
Expect the same cadence of per-distribution fixes and fitting-method additions, with further signature loosening where concrete array types are still assumed. Nothing in these entries signals a major version or API break.
haze
5.0ANALYTICS
Mesh interpolation drops its custom fork dependency and sheds weight.
◆ Current state
haze does per-vertex smoothing and interpolation on triangular meshes, aimed at mapping neuroimaging surface data between subjects, with k-d tree lookup and interpolation in C++. After three years dormant it has shipped twice in a month: a modernization pass to get through R CMD check, and now the removal of its dependency on a custom Rvcg build. It has never been on CRAN because of package size.
◆ Where it's heading
Both recent releases point at the same obstacle. Needing a patched Rvcg meant users could not install from any normal source, and package size is the stated reason CRAN was ruled out at the first release; this release removes the first barrier and starts on the second by deleting unused data files. Nothing has been added to the interpolation surface since 2022.
◆ Prediction
The direction of travel suggests a CRAN attempt once the size problem is solved, though the package has not said so and the earlier note put it ten times over the limit.
Alternatives to Distributions.jl and haze
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 Distributions.jl or haze.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse starts adding per-column defaults while still closing silent-failure holes.
Power BI
Power BI's monthly grind: authoring defaults, DAX documentation, and mobile finally catching up.
ggquiver
ggquiver is awake again, fixing arrow scaling that quietly misread irregular data.
vecvec
A lazy vector container keeps closing the gaps where it quietly materialised anyway.
scimesh
A mesh renderer grows a scene graph and an exit route into glTF.
See all Distributions.jl alternatives → · See all haze alternatives →
Recent activity from Distributions.jl and haze
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoDistributions.jlMvNormal sampling accepts any AbstractVecOrMat, closing a rand! slowdown
- 1d agohazeVersion 0.4.0 -- Remove dependency on custom Rvcg version
- 22d agohazeVersion 0.3.0 -- Fixes and modernization
- 25d agoDistributions.jlLogitNormal comment fix and doc typo cleanup
- 1mo agoDistributions.jlLooser MvNormal and MvNormalCanon type aliases
- 1mo agoDistributions.jlTruncated Chernoff quantile and sparsity tracing fixes
- 2mo agoDistributions.jlSparsity tracing works through distribution constructors
- 2mo agoDistributions.jlStatsFuns 2 upgrade and CI action bumps
- 4y agohazev0.2.0 -- kdtrees
- 4y agohazeInitial release: mesh smoothing and k-d tree interpolation ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Distributions.jl and haze?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Distributions.jl and haze are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, 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 Distributions.jl better than haze?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Distributions.jl and haze are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, 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 Distributions.jl?
Top Distributions.jl alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Distributions.jl alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/distributions-jl for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to haze?
Top haze alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "haze alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/haze for the full list with editorial commentary on each.