STACAS
Single-cell batch correction that learned to use cell labels, then spent three releases chasing Seurat.
Comparison · Analytics
fitVARMxID vs rtrek
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fitVARMxID and rtrek — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
fitVARMxID vs rtrek: at a glance
What is fitVARMxID?
A VAR-model fitting package acquiring the standard R methods it launched without
fitVARMxID fits vector autoregressive models via OpenMx identification, and is one of several packages maintained by the jeksterslab account. Its recent releases are small and additive: confint() and plot() methods, a save function, and before that a documentation pass. The feed also carries automated build commits that are pure CI artifacts.
What is rtrek?
A Star Trek data package that became a Memory Alpha web client and has been patching scrapers ever since.
rtrek bundles Star Trek datasets — book series, timelines, episode transcripts, species and homeworlds, map tile sets — and layers live retrieval on top through memory_alpha() and memory_beta() plus their ma_* and mb_* helpers. Recent releases are almost entirely repairs to that retrieval layer as the source wikis change their page structure.
fitVARMxID vs rtrek: editorial side-by-side
fitVARMxID
2.5ANALYTICS
A VAR-model fitting package acquiring the standard R methods it launched without
◆ Current state
fitVARMxID fits vector autoregressive models via OpenMx identification, and is one of several packages maintained by the jeksterslab account. Its recent releases are small and additive: confint() and plot() methods, a save function, and before that a documentation pass. The feed also carries automated build commits that are pure CI artifacts.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a package settling into R conventions rather than growing capability. Adding confint() and plot() is the standard-methods work most modeling packages do once the estimation core is stable — it signals the author considers the fitting side done. Cadence is roughly quarterly and the changes get smaller each time.
◆ Prediction
Further method coverage — summary(), predict(), or coef() — is the likely next step, since confint() and plot() are usually the first two of that set rather than the last.
rtrek
0.0ANALYTICS
A Star Trek data package that became a Memory Alpha web client and has been patching scrapers ever since.
◆ Current state
rtrek bundles Star Trek datasets — book series, timelines, episode transcripts, species and homeworlds, map tile sets — and layers live retrieval on top through memory_alpha() and memory_beta() plus their ma_* and mb_* helpers. Recent releases are almost entirely repairs to that retrieval layer as the source wikis change their page structure.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's centre of gravity shifted once, at 0.2.0, from shipping static data to querying Memory Alpha and Memory Beta at runtime. Everything since has been the maintenance bill for that decision: HTML update fixes, parser improvements, portal retrieval bugs. Note that version numbers on this feed do not track time — 0.2.5 is stamped a year before 0.1.0, and three tags were backfilled within four minutes in November 2020 — so neither rank nor version ordering here indicates release sequence.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to fix retrieval against another Memory Alpha layout change, which is what the last four have done. The entries give no indication of new datasets or functions in progress.
Alternatives to fitVARMxID and rtrek
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 fitVARMxID or rtrek.
ggtrace
A debugger for ggplot2's internals, hardening its grip as the internals it traces keep moving.
kde1d
A univariate density estimator that added zero-inflated data and reopened its C++ API to do it.
svines
Stationary vine copulas for time series, released in lockstep with the rest of Nagler's vine stack.
gghighlight
A single-purpose ggplot2 extension that has spent six years tracking ggplot2 instead of growing.
eiaapi
A thin EIA energy-data client whose whole story is making bulk queries survive the API's limits.
See all fitVARMxID alternatives → · See all rtrek alternatives →
Recent activity from fitVARMxID and rtrek
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 15d agofitVARMxIDfitVARMxID 1.0.5
- 4mo agofitVARMxIDfitVARMxID 1.0.3
- 5mo agofitVARMxIDv1.0.2: Automated build [skip ci].
- 1y agortrekMemory Alpha series portal retrieval fix
- 1y agortrekrtrek 0.5.1 release
- 2y agortrekParser improvements for wiki retrieval
- 2y agortrekDead external content and data dependencies removed
- 5y agortrekFixes for source website HTML changes
- 5y agortrekMemory Alpha and Memory Beta web APIs added ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fitVARMxID and rtrek?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. fitVARMxID 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 fitVARMxID better than rtrek?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fitVARMxID 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 Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to fitVARMxID?
Top fitVARMxID alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fitVARMxID alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fitvarmxid for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rtrek?
Top rtrek alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rtrek alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rtrek for the full list with editorial commentary on each.