gps2gtfs
gps2gtfs spent a release making its docs stop describing functions it does not have.
Comparison · Analytics
glyexp vs KLINK
A side-by-side editorial comparison of glyexp and KLINK — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
glyexp vs KLINK: at a glance
What is glyexp?
glyexp is retiring its own data container and handing the job to Bioconductor.
glyexp is the container layer under the glycoverse stack, and it just changed what that container is. Versions 0.15.0 and 0.16.0 introduced GlycomicSE and GlycoproteomicSE as SummarizedExperiment subclasses, taught the dplyr-style verbs to operate on them, and then deprecated the legacy experiment() constructor and its accessors. Earlier releases in the window were narrower: as_pseudo_glycome(), a magrittr-free rewrite, and an offline standardize_variable().
What is KLINK?
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
KLINK is a Shiny application and R package for kinship testing that accounts for linkage between STR markers, rather than treating all markers as independent. The built-in genetic map covers 50 common STR markers, pairs them dynamically after data loads, and lets the user set the maximum distance at which a pair counts as linked. Custom marker maps can now arrive as Excel files including KLINK's own download files, and a paper describing the tool was published in FSI:Genetics in 2026.
glyexp vs KLINK: editorial side-by-side
glyexp
0.0ANALYTICS
glyexp is retiring its own data container and handing the job to Bioconductor.
◆ Current state
glyexp is the container layer under the glycoverse stack, and it just changed what that container is. Versions 0.15.0 and 0.16.0 introduced GlycomicSE and GlycoproteomicSE as SummarizedExperiment subclasses, taught the dplyr-style verbs to operate on them, and then deprecated the legacy experiment() constructor and its accessors. Earlier releases in the window were narrower: as_pseudo_glycome(), a magrittr-free rewrite, and an offline standardize_variable().
◆ Where it's heading
The package is moving from a bespoke object model to the Bioconductor one, and doing it in explicitly numbered stages tracked in a single issue (glyexp#15). Stage I added the subclasses as experimental; Stage II deprecated the old container and pushed the migration through ten sibling packages within days. The tidy manipulation verbs are being kept as the compatibility bridge, which suggests the dplyr surface is what the maintainer considers glyexp's actual contribution once the container is someone else's.
◆ Prediction
Expect a Stage III release that removes the deprecated experiment() constructor and accessors outright, leaving GlycomicSE and GlycoproteomicSE as the only supported containers.
KLINK
2.5ANALYTICS
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
◆ Current state
KLINK is a Shiny application and R package for kinship testing that accounts for linkage between STR markers, rather than treating all markers as independent. The built-in genetic map covers 50 common STR markers, pairs them dynamically after data loads, and lets the user set the maximum distance at which a pair counts as linked. Custom marker maps can now arrive as Excel files including KLINK's own download files, and a paper describing the tool was published in FSI:Genetics in 2026.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is from fixed panel toward general instrument. Hard-coded linkage pairs gave way to dynamic pairing, the built-in map grew from 18 to 50 markers, the map itself was then moved out to the norSTR package, and the app now accepts custom maps in several file formats and decimal conventions. Method capability tracks the upstream pedsuite rather than KLINK itself: special lumping in pedprobr and pedmut is what allowed complex mutation models in common pedigrees, and the newest release pins pedtools 2.11.0 and pedprobr 1.1.0 for faster likelihoods and better handling of looped pedigrees. Much of the remaining work is unglamorous casework ergonomics, replacing stray Norwegian text in Excel output, controlling table heights, fixing karyogram colours.
◆ Prediction
With the map externalised and custom maps loading from multiple formats, the likeliest next step is broader marker-panel coverage through norSTR rather than changes in KLINK itself. Method gains should continue to arrive as pedprobr and pedmut version bumps.
Alternatives to glyexp and KLINK
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 glyexp or KLINK.
ducksemantics
ducksemantics puts an ontology graph and ColBERT retrieval inside DuckDB, callable from R.
dvir
dvir keeps making disaster victim identification a single call instead of a workflow.
pedbuildr
pedbuildr reconstructs pedigrees from DNA, and it just got much faster at the search.
forrel
forrel is getting faster at the simulations forensic kinship work actually spends its time on.
pedFamilias
pedFamilias exists to read one legacy file format, and it has that job nearly finished.
See all glyexp alternatives → · See all KLINK alternatives →
Recent activity from glyexp and KLINK
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 12d agoKLINKExcel marker maps, more robust map loading, and a published paper
- 1mo agoglyexpglyexp deprecates its own container for SummarizedExperiment ⚡
- 1mo agoglyexpExperimental GlycomicSE and GlycoproteomicSE containers land
- 1mo agoglyexpfrom_se() metadata fixes and dataset refresh
- 3mo agoKLINKIn-app help pages, a mutation-model setting, and clearer controls
- 4mo agoglyexpfilter_obs() and filter_var() drop unused factor levels
- 4mo agoglyexpas_pseudo_glycome() converts glycoproteomics to glycomics
- 5mo agoglyexpstandardize_variable() drops its UniProt network dependency
- 1y agoKLINKComplex mutation models become usable via upstream special lumping
- 1y agoKLINKDownload fix for XML initials containing hyphens
- 1y agoKLINKUnlinked report picks the higher-PIC marker from each pair
- 2y agoKLINKMarkers pair dynamically against a 50-marker map, replacing hard-coded pairs ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between glyexp and KLINK?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. KLINK 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 glyexp better than KLINK?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. KLINK 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 glyexp?
Top glyexp alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "glyexp alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/glyexp for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to KLINK?
Top KLINK alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "KLINK alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/klink for the full list with editorial commentary on each.