tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
hoardr vs ijtiff
A side-by-side editorial comparison of hoardr and ijtiff — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
hoardr vs ijtiff: at a glance
What is hoardr?
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
hoardr manages local cache directories for other R packages — where files go, how they are keyed, whether they exist. It underpins caching in several rOpenSci data clients. The last functional additions were in 2018; everything since is a patch issued because CRAN reported a test failure or the maintainer changed.
What is ijtiff?
A TIFF reader for scientific imaging that spent its recent releases shedding weight and fixing memory bugs.
ijtiff reads and writes TIFF files the way ImageJ writes them, which ordinary R TIFF readers get wrong — multi-channel, multi-frame, and unusual bit depths. The 3.1.x line is dominated by memory correctness in the C tag-handling layer, alongside dropping the large imager dependency from the display path. Cadence is sporadic, with multi-year gaps.
hoardr vs ijtiff: editorial side-by-side
hoardr
0.0ANALYTICS
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
◆ Current state
hoardr manages local cache directories for other R packages — where files go, how they are keyed, whether they exist. It underpins caching in several rOpenSci data clients. The last functional additions were in 2018; everything since is a patch issued because CRAN reported a test failure or the maintainer changed.
◆ Where it's heading
This is infrastructure that has reached its final shape. Three of the last three releases were reactive: two responses to CRAN test-failure notifications, one to a maintainer handover. The single behavioural change in that stretch — forward slashes in paths on every operating system — is a consistency fix for downstream packages rather than a feature. Its release cadence is set by CRAN's checks, not by demand.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to be triggered by another CRAN check failure rather than by new functionality, matching every release since 2018.
ijtiff
0.0ANALYTICS
A TIFF reader for scientific imaging that spent its recent releases shedding weight and fixing memory bugs.
◆ Current state
ijtiff reads and writes TIFF files the way ImageJ writes them, which ordinary R TIFF readers get wrong — multi-channel, multi-frame, and unusual bit depths. The 3.1.x line is dominated by memory correctness in the C tag-handling layer, alongside dropping the large imager dependency from the display path. Cadence is sporadic, with multi-year gaps.
◆ Where it's heading
Two threads run through the window. The C layer is being hardened — memory leaks in tag handling, buffer cleanup, PROTECT errors, validation of malformed files — which is the kind of work that surfaces when a package gets run against real-world files at volume. Separately, the R layer is shedding dependencies, with base graphics replacing imager for display. Both make the package cheaper and safer to depend on rather than more capable.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued C-level correctness work rather than format features, since three of the last three substantive releases were memory or compiler fixes.
Alternatives to hoardr and ijtiff
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 hoardr or ijtiff.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
riem
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
datasetjson
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
See all hoardr alternatives → · See all ijtiff alternatives →
Recent activity from hoardr and ijtiff
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agoijtiffPROTECT-error and documentation fixes across 3.1.1-3.1.3
- 1y agoijtiffDrops the imager dependency; fixes tag-handling memory leaks
- 1y agohoardrPaths use forward slashes on every platform
- 2y agohoardrTest-only patch for a CRAN failure
- 3y agohoardrPatch release for maintainer handover
- 3y agoijtiffMoves to rlang::abort() and away from magrittr
- 3y agoijtiffFixes NEWS.md headings
- 5y agoijtiffCompatibility with libtiff using C99 stdint.h
- 5y agoijtiffQuiets pkg-config warnings; drops LazyData
- 7y agohoardrFixes cache paths leaking between HoardClient instances
- 7y agohoardrFile-existence checks and full-path cache configuration
- 9y agohoardrCRAN disk-writing policy compliance
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hoardr and ijtiff?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. hoardr and ijtiff 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 hoardr better than ijtiff?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. hoardr and ijtiff 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 Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to hoardr?
Top hoardr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "hoardr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hoardr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ijtiff?
Top ijtiff alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ijtiff alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ijtiff for the full list with editorial commentary on each.