glymotif
A glycan motif matcher trading convenience wrappers for speed, strictness and explicit specs.
Comparison · Analytics
malariasimulation vs ribd
A side-by-side editorial comparison of malariasimulation and ribd — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-packages
malariasimulation vs ribd: at a glance
What is malariasimulation?
An individual-based malaria model that grew a second parasite species, then froze itself for reproducibility.
malariasimulation is an individual-based transmission model whose 2.0 line added a full Plasmodium vivax implementation alongside the existing P. falciparum one, including hypnozoites, competing hazards, vivax-specific drug handling, an equilibrium solution and dedicated outputs. The most recent entry is not a code release at all but a coordinated malariaverse_01_2025 tag applied across the package suite, freezing every package at a matching version so existing analyses can be reproduced after the suite moves on. The record here is thin, two entries spanning sixteen months, so the visible cadence understates the work in the underlying repository.
What is ribd?
The pedsuite's coefficient engine: broadening what it computes, then making the plots publishable.
ribd computes relatedness coefficients from pedigrees, covering kinship, inbreeding, kappa, condensed and detailed identity coefficients, and two-locus versions of several of these, in autosomal and X-chromosomal form. The IBD triangle is now drawable in base graphics, ggplot2 or plotly, with an optional inset pedigree, and custom relationships can be placed on it. The most recent release is dominated by correctness work, fixing pair ordering and row alignment in coefficient tables and edge cases for pedigree lists, unrelated individuals and self-pairs.
malariasimulation vs ribd: editorial side-by-side
malariasimulation
0.0ANALYTICS
An individual-based malaria model that grew a second parasite species, then froze itself for reproducibility.
◆ Current state
malariasimulation is an individual-based transmission model whose 2.0 line added a full Plasmodium vivax implementation alongside the existing P. falciparum one, including hypnozoites, competing hazards, vivax-specific drug handling, an equilibrium solution and dedicated outputs. The most recent entry is not a code release at all but a coordinated malariaverse_01_2025 tag applied across the package suite, freezing every package at a matching version so existing analyses can be reproduced after the suite moves on. The record here is thin, two entries spanning sixteen months, so the visible cadence understates the work in the underlying repository.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction visible in these entries is toward being a suite rather than a package. The snapshot tag is explicit that packages are installed together at one tag rather than mixed with main, which is the versioning discipline of a research platform whose users publish against specific model versions. On the modelling side, the vivax work was not a parameter addition but a distinct biology, with immunity structures removed rather than reused, indicating the model now carries two species with genuinely different natural histories.
◆ Prediction
The snapshot describes itself as freezing state immediately before an upcoming update, so the next visible release should be that update across the suite rather than any single package. Whether it extends the vivax model or the falciparum one is not indicated here.
ribd
2.5ANALYTICS
The pedsuite's coefficient engine: broadening what it computes, then making the plots publishable.
◆ Current state
ribd computes relatedness coefficients from pedigrees, covering kinship, inbreeding, kappa, condensed and detailed identity coefficients, and two-locus versions of several of these, in autosomal and X-chromosomal form. The IBD triangle is now drawable in base graphics, ggplot2 or plotly, with an optional inset pedigree, and custom relationships can be placed on it. The most recent release is dominated by correctness work, fixing pair ordering and row alignment in coefficient tables and edge cases for pedigree lists, unrelated individuals and self-pairs.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from generality to presentation to precision. Early releases replaced narrow functions with general ones, most visibly when gKinship() absorbed generalisedKinship() and identityCoefs() superseded the separate autosomal and X-chromosomal identity functions in favour of an Xchrom argument. The middle stretch turned the IBD triangle into a proper plotting surface across three graphics systems. The current phase reads as consolidation, with the newest release listing six bug fixes against four features, several of them alignment errors in output tables, which is where a coefficient library most needs to be exactly right.
◆ Prediction
The two new internal functions in the latest release, inbreedingContributions() and ancestralKinship(), are the kind of thing that surfaces publicly a release or two later, so expect them to become exported decomposition tools. The correctness push through pedigree lists and edge cases suggests the near-term focus stays on hardening rather than new coefficient families.
Alternatives to malariasimulation and ribd
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 malariasimulation or ribd.
glyrepr
The type system the rest of the glycan stack is built on, being hardened one breaking change at a time.
glyanno
Glycan annotation stops depending on the database having seen the structure before.
glydraw
SNFG glycan cartoons stopped being pictures and became ggplot2 geoms, guides and axis labels.
glyenzy
Glycan biosynthesis as a traceable enzyme graph, now including sulfation and gaps it can bridge.
KLINK
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
See all malariasimulation alternatives → · See all ribd alternatives →
Recent activity from malariasimulation and ribd
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 12d agoribdCustom relationships on the IBD triangle; six alignment and edge-case fixes
- 2mo agomalariasimulationCoordinated suite snapshot tag for reproducible installs
- 1y agomalariasimulationPlasmodium vivax model lands: hypnozoites, competing hazards, equilibrium ⚡
- 1y agoribdkappaIBD() can skip across-component pairs on large pedigrees
- 2y agoribdIBD triangle plots gain ggplot2 and plotly backends, plus inset pedigrees
- 3y agoribdTriangle line clipping, automatic plot margins, citation info
- 3y agoribdTwo-locus functions overhauled; twoLocusInbreeding and ELR added
- 4y agoribdIdentity coefficients unified behind identityCoefs() and an Xchrom argument
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between malariasimulation and ribd?
Both compete on the same themes — r-packages — within Analytics. ribd 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 malariasimulation better than ribd?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ribd 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 malariasimulation?
Top malariasimulation alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "malariasimulation alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/malariasimulation for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ribd?
Top ribd alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ribd alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ribd for the full list with editorial commentary on each.