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Comparison · Infra & APIs
gofedf vs packageRank
A side-by-side editorial comparison of gofedf and packageRank — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
gofedf vs packageRank: at a glance
What is gofedf?
A two-test goodness-of-fit package opens itself up to any weight function
gofedf runs goodness-of-fit tests built on the empirical distribution function. Its three releases trace a short, clean arc: existence in 2023, then p-values computed from an analytical solution of the integral equation in 2024, then in 2026 a user-supplied weight function that replaces the fixed menu. Cramer-von Mises and Anderson-Darling are now two points in a family rather than the two options.
What is packageRank?
CRAN download analytics maintained one micro-change at a time, hundreds per year
packageRank computes download counts and percentile ranks from CRAN's logs, with a filtering layer that tries to separate real installs from mirrors, sequences and bots. The recent releases are dense lists of small changes — thirty or more per version — spread across plot arguments, filter behaviour, and the cranDistribution object that now absorbs what packageDistribution() used to do separately.
gofedf vs packageRank: editorial side-by-side
gofedf
0.0INFRA · APIS
A two-test goodness-of-fit package opens itself up to any weight function
◆ Current state
gofedf runs goodness-of-fit tests built on the empirical distribution function. Its three releases trace a short, clean arc: existence in 2023, then p-values computed from an analytical solution of the integral equation in 2024, then in 2026 a user-supplied weight function that replaces the fixed menu. Cramer-von Mises and Anderson-Darling are now two points in a family rather than the two options.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is generalising rather than accumulating. Each release removed a hard-coded decision: first how eigenvalues are computed, offering both the analytical route and a matrix approximation; then which weight function defines the statistic at all. The maintainer's own framing in 1.1.0 is a contrast against what earlier versions would not let you do, which is the shape of a package aiming to become a framework.
◆ Prediction
An arbitrary weight function is the extensibility point that matters for EDF tests; what it lacks is calibration guidance, since Type I error behaviour was the argued benefit of the analytical eigenvalue route. Documented recommendations or diagnostics for user-chosen weights are the natural follow-up, though the entries do not announce one.
packageRank
0.0INFRA · APIS
CRAN download analytics maintained one micro-change at a time, hundreds per year
◆ Current state
packageRank computes download counts and percentile ranks from CRAN's logs, with a filtering layer that tries to separate real installs from mirrors, sequences and bots. The recent releases are dense lists of small changes — thirty or more per version — spread across plot arguments, filter behaviour, and the cranDistribution object that now absorbs what packageDistribution() used to do separately.
◆ Where it's heading
There is no directional arc here; there is a maintainer keeping a measurement instrument calibrated against a data source that keeps moving. CRAN's logs went missing for a week in 2025 and the package now ships those dates as data and draws them as polygons on every plot. A chatgpt argument has been threaded through the plotting functions since 0.9.6. Function surface churns constantly — arguments renamed, plot helpers archived, others integrated.
◆ Prediction
Given the cadence, the next release will be another few dozen adjustments concentrated wherever CRAN's logs last surprised the maintainer. The consolidation of plotting arguments toward a single axis.package annotation looks unfinished.
Alternatives to gofedf and packageRank
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 gofedf or packageRank.
PINstimation
A market-microstructure toolkit that keeps adding estimators as the papers land.
nzilbb.vowels
A vowel-analysis package trimming dependencies after an email address got it archived.
emuR
The R half of the EMU speech database system, fixing what was quietly broken.
BAS
A Bayesian model-averaging package spending its 2.0 on memory, not methods.
tidyplots
tidyplots keeps rebuilding its own foundations rather than layering around them.
See all gofedf alternatives → · See all packageRank alternatives →
Recent activity from gofedf and packageRank
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agogofedfUser-supplied weight functions for Cramer-von Mises tests ⚡
- 5mo agopackageRankPackage and version axis annotations across every plot
- 10mo agopackageRankMissing CRAN log dates shipped as data and drawn on plots
- 1y agogofedfp-values from an analytical eigenvalue solution
- 1y agopackageRankWeekend and version overlays for the base graphics path
- 1y agopackageRankPackage history prefers CRAN over the pkgsearch fallback
- 1y agopackageRankDistribution summaries gain totals and a top-N default
- 1y agopackageRankcranDistribution() object and a direct query family
- 2y agogofedfFirst release of the gofedf package ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gofedf and packageRank?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. gofedf and packageRank 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 gofedf better than packageRank?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. gofedf and packageRank 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 gofedf?
Top gofedf alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "gofedf alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/gofedf for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to packageRank?
Top packageRank alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "packageRank alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/packagerank for the full list with editorial commentary on each.