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Comparison · Infra & APIs
fdacluster vs rgm
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fdacluster and rgm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
fdacluster vs rgm: at a glance
What is fdacluster?
Functional data clustering grew from one algorithm into a comparable suite
fdacluster clusters functional data while separating amplitude from phase variation, aligning curves as part of the clustering rather than before it. The algorithm set covers k-means, hierarchical clustering and DBSCAN, all producing a common caps result object so runs can be compared directly. Version 0.4.0 tightened the interface with is_domain_interval and transformation arguments describing the input data, added compatibility checking between incompatible option combinations, and split the L2 and normalized L2 distances into separate C++ classes to enforce that plain L2 cannot be combined with dilation or affine warping it is not invariant to.
What is rgm?
A microbiome network model that got itself un-archived by deleting the dependency that killed it.
rgm implements the random graphical model for microbiome interactions across related environments, published in JABES in 2026. The package was archived from CRAN in February 2026 because of its dependency on huge; the recovery release drops that dependency entirely, which cost it the graphical-lasso warm start that used to seed the initial graph — the default is now an empty graph, with warm starts left to the user. A post-processing function returning ggplot diagnostics arrived in the same release.
fdacluster vs rgm: editorial side-by-side
fdacluster
0.0INFRA · APIS
Functional data clustering grew from one algorithm into a comparable suite
◆ Current state
fdacluster clusters functional data while separating amplitude from phase variation, aligning curves as part of the clustering rather than before it. The algorithm set covers k-means, hierarchical clustering and DBSCAN, all producing a common caps result object so runs can be compared directly. Version 0.4.0 tightened the interface with is_domain_interval and transformation arguments describing the input data, added compatibility checking between incompatible option combinations, and split the L2 and normalized L2 distances into separate C++ classes to enforce that plain L2 cannot be combined with dilation or affine warping it is not invariant to.
◆ Where it's heading
The trajectory runs from method implementation toward guardrails and portability. Early releases added capability; recent ones prevent misuse and reduce weight - dplyr, forcats, tidyr and purrr removed in 0.4.0, furrr swapped for future.apply - while 0.4.2 is entirely C++ correctness, replacing Armadillo's whole-object finiteness check with scalar std::isfinite and fixing an integer overflow in linear index computation that broke large datasets. Cadence is roughly one release a year.
◆ Prediction
Given that the last two releases were dependency reduction and numerical correctness rather than method work, expect the next to continue in that vein unless a new clustering algorithm is contributed.
rgm
0.0INFRA · APIS
A microbiome network model that got itself un-archived by deleting the dependency that killed it.
◆ Current state
rgm implements the random graphical model for microbiome interactions across related environments, published in JABES in 2026. The package was archived from CRAN in February 2026 because of its dependency on huge; the recovery release drops that dependency entirely, which cost it the graphical-lasso warm start that used to seed the initial graph — the default is now an empty graph, with warm starts left to the user. A post-processing function returning ggplot diagnostics arrived in the same release.
◆ Where it's heading
Three tags shipped inside two hours on one day, and the notes are candid about why: 1.1.0 held the actual work but was never released, 1.2.0 restated it under a higher version to signal the size of the change, and 1.2.1 answered CRAN pre-test feedback. Beyond the archival recovery, the visible work is housekeeping that had accumulated — a shadowed rmvnorm() definition, roxygen import tags that were silently emitting nothing, leftover C++ template scaffolding, and build artifacts under version control. The diagnostics function is the only genuinely new user-facing capability in the window.
◆ Prediction
The immediate task was restoring availability, and that is done; the open question the entries raise is whether losing the graphical-lasso warm start affects convergence in practice, which the new diagnostic plots are positioned to answer.
Alternatives to fdacluster and rgm
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 fdacluster or rgm.
WPML
WPML made machine translation the default, and its point releases keep chasing WordPress and page builders.
forestploter
A forest plot package that keeps handing users control of one more graphical detail.
ggInterval
Interval-valued data plotting, spending 2026 making its function names and examples survive CRAN.
contagionchannels
Three releases in ten days, every one of them a CRAN reviewer's correction rather than a code change.
tidyaudit
Pipeline provenance for tidyverse workflows, recording what changed at each step without keeping the data.
See all fdacluster alternatives → · See all rgm alternatives →
Recent activity from fdacluster and rgm
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agorgmJournal DOI replaces the preprint; promotional wording removed
- 3mo agorgmBack on CRAN after dropping the dependency that caused archival
- 3mo agorgmUnreleased twin of the CRAN recovery release
- 7mo agofdaclusterInteger overflow fixed for large datasets, C++ finiteness checks corrected
- 1y agofdaclusterParallel worker setup and an acronym correction
- 1y agofdaclusterInput description arguments and enforced distance-warping compatibility
- 2y agorgmFirst release: simulation, estimation and post-processing
- 3y agofdaclusterMedian centroids and centroids defined on unioned grids
- 3y agofdaclusterNamespace notation and optional dependency guards
- 3y agofdaclusterHierarchical clustering, DBSCAN and a shared result class arrive together ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fdacluster and rgm?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. fdacluster and rgm 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 fdacluster better than rgm?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fdacluster and rgm 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to fdacluster?
Top fdacluster alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fdacluster alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fdacluster for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rgm?
Top rgm alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rgm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rgm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.