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Comparison · Infra & APIs

eratosthenes vs FoReco

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

Shared themes:r-package

eratosthenes vs FoReco: at a glance

FeatureeratosthenesFoReco
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesarchaeology, bayesian-inference, mcmc, input-validationforecasting, hierarchical-reconciliation, time-series, s3-classes
Last editorial update1h ago56m ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is eratosthenes?

eratosthenes spends 0.1.0 hardening inputs rather than adding chronology methods.

eratosthenes does Bayesian estimation of archaeological chronologies from relative sequences, absolute constraints and artifact assemblages. The 0.0.9 line built out the inference diagnostics — traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE reporting, displacement estimation — and then consolidated artifact probability-density estimation into a single gibbs_ad_type(). The 0.1.0 tag turns outward instead, adding validators for every user-supplied structure and replacing seq_check() with a more informative seq_diag().

Read the full eratosthenes trajectory →

What is FoReco?

Forecast reconciliation with a real object model, five years after it started returning bare matrices.

FoReco reconciles hierarchical forecasts across cross-sectional, temporal, and cross-temporal frameworks, and now covers both point and probabilistic reconciliation. The 1.3.0 release gave every reconciliation function a shared foreco S3 class carrying framework, function, forecast type, and reconciliation metadata, which replaced the loose attribute-and-helper pattern the package had used since 1.0.0. The follow-up 1.3.1 turned the same attention on the API's edges: strict argument validation with errors that name the expected and supplied values, and a help index pruned down to user-facing functions only.

Read the full FoReco trajectory →

eratosthenes vs FoReco: editorial side-by-side

E
eratosthenes
INFRA · APIS
2.5

eratosthenes spends 0.1.0 hardening inputs rather than adding chronology methods.

◆ Current state

eratosthenes does Bayesian estimation of archaeological chronologies from relative sequences, absolute constraints and artifact assemblages. The 0.0.9 line built out the inference diagnostics — traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE reporting, displacement estimation — and then consolidated artifact probability-density estimation into a single gibbs_ad_type(). The 0.1.0 tag turns outward instead, adding validators for every user-supplied structure and replacing seq_check() with a more informative seq_diag().

◆ Where it's heading

The package is moving from research code to something a non-author can run. Consolidating estimation behind one function, then wrapping every input class in a validator, are the two steps that make failures legible instead of cryptic, and the diagnostics added earlier serve the same end for the sampler itself. Nothing in the window changes the underlying model; the work is all about making it usable and its output checkable.

◆ Prediction

With inputs validated and diagnostics in place, the next release is more likely to extend the constraint or assemblage modelling than to keep reworking the interface, though the feed's three sparse tags give little to read a cadence from.

F
FoReco
INFRA · APIS
0.0

Forecast reconciliation with a real object model, five years after it started returning bare matrices.

◆ Current state

FoReco reconciles hierarchical forecasts across cross-sectional, temporal, and cross-temporal frameworks, and now covers both point and probabilistic reconciliation. The 1.3.0 release gave every reconciliation function a shared foreco S3 class carrying framework, function, forecast type, and reconciliation metadata, which replaced the loose attribute-and-helper pattern the package had used since 1.0.0. The follow-up 1.3.1 turned the same attention on the API's edges: strict argument validation with errors that name the expected and supplied values, and a help index pruned down to user-facing functions only.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is completing a reversal it started in 1.0.0. That release simplified outputs to plain matrices and pushed metadata into attributes reachable via recoinfo(); 1.3.0 removed recoinfo() outright and put the structure back as a class with components(), summary(), and plot() methods. The direction is toward being infrastructure rather than a function library — the class is exported through new_foreco_class() and a sibling package has already adopted it. Method coverage has meanwhile broadened from optimal combination into non-negative algorithms, bounded reconciliation, and Gaussian and sample-based probabilistic variants.

◆ Prediction

The soft-deprecated res2matrix() is flagged for removal, so a subsequent release should finish that cleanup; with the class now exported, expect more methods to hang off foreco objects rather than more top-level functions.

Alternatives to eratosthenes and FoReco

Other Infra & APIs 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 eratosthenes or FoReco.

See all eratosthenes alternatives → · See all FoReco alternatives →

Recent activity from eratosthenes and FoReco

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

  1. 10d agoeratosthenesInput validators added; seq_check() replaced by seq_diag()
  2. 1mo agoFoRecoStrict argument validation and a pruned help index
  3. 1mo agoFoRecoEvery reconciliation function now returns a shared foreco object
  4. 3mo agoFoRecoBootstrap functions gain xreg; simulate() argument bug fixed
  5. 5mo agoFoRecoGaussian and sample-based probabilistic reconciliation added
  6. 1y agoeratosthenesArtifact p.d.f. estimation consolidated into gibbs_ad_type()
  7. 1y agoeratosthenesMCMC diagnostics arrive: traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE
  8. 1y agoFoRecoBounded reconciliation and an oracle shrunk covariance estimator
  9. 1y agoFoRecoBreaking rename: cs, te and ct prefixes across all functions

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between eratosthenes and FoReco?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. eratosthenes is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 eratosthenes better than FoReco?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. eratosthenes is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to eratosthenes?

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

What are the best alternatives to FoReco?

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