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n1qn1c vs spatstat.geom

A side-by-side editorial comparison of n1qn1c and spatstat.geom — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:r-package

n1qn1c vs spatstat.geom: at a glance

Featuren1qn1cspatstat.geom
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesnumerical-optimization, quasi-newton, thread-safety, memory-safetyspatial-statistics, computational-geometry, r-package, three-dimensional
Last editorial update1h ago5h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is n1qn1c?

A Fortran-descended optimizer got thread-safe, then found two flags that never worked.

n1qn1c is a quasi-Newton optimization routine translated from Fortran to C, used as a solver backend by the nlmixr2 modeling stack rather than called directly by most users. Its two 2026 releases are a concentrated safety pass: global state converted to thread_local, static removed from local variables in the translated code, integer overflow guards added, and memory leaks closed in the R callback wrappers — plus the gcc-asan and valgrind fixes CRAN asked for.

Read the full n1qn1c trajectory →

What is spatstat.geom?

The geometry layer under spatstat, steadily absorbing 3D patterns and missing-data semantics

spatstat.geom holds the spatial data structures and geometric operations the rest of the spatstat family builds on — windows, tessellations, images, point patterns and the operations that move between them. Recent releases split their attention between extending those structures to three dimensions and hardening the discretisation code where polygonal geometry meets a pixel grid. 3.8-2 adds more capabilities for three-dimensional point patterns.

Read the full spatstat.geom trajectory →

n1qn1c vs spatstat.geom: editorial side-by-side

N
n1qn1c
ANALYTICS
0.0

A Fortran-descended optimizer got thread-safe, then found two flags that never worked.

◆ Current state

n1qn1c is a quasi-Newton optimization routine translated from Fortran to C, used as a solver backend by the nlmixr2 modeling stack rather than called directly by most users. Its two 2026 releases are a concentrated safety pass: global state converted to thread_local, static removed from local variables in the translated code, integer overflow guards added, and memory leaks closed in the R callback wrappers — plus the gcc-asan and valgrind fixes CRAN asked for.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is being hardened for use inside a parallel modeling framework rather than extended. The audit that produced the thread-safety work also surfaced two plain bugs in features users would have assumed worked: restart = TRUE left the mode at 2 instead of 3 because of a typo, and assign = TRUE referenced the wrong field name so the compressed Hessian was never written to the supplied environment. Earlier work points the same direction — the 6.0.1-12 function-pointer interface exists so nlmixr2est does not need resubmission when this package changes.

◆ Prediction

Expect further memory-safety and sanitizer work rather than algorithmic change; a Fortran-translated numerical core under CRAN's checking regime generates that kind of release indefinitely.

S
spatstat.geom
ANALYTICS
2.5

The geometry layer under spatstat, steadily absorbing 3D patterns and missing-data semantics

◆ Current state

spatstat.geom holds the spatial data structures and geometric operations the rest of the spatstat family builds on — windows, tessellations, images, point patterns and the operations that move between them. Recent releases split their attention between extending those structures to three dimensions and hardening the discretisation code where polygonal geometry meets a pixel grid. 3.8-2 adds more capabilities for three-dimensional point patterns.

◆ Where it's heading

Two threads run through this window. The first is a family-wide push into 3D that originated in the simulation package and has now reached the geometry layer. The second is a slower semantic change: 3.5-0 introduced missing or unavailable (NA) spatial objects, and 3.6-0 followed with more facilities for handling them, meaning an absent window or image became a representable value rather than an error. Around both, the plotting and discretisation code accretes steadily — nonlinear colour maps, plot backgrounds, transparency control, signed distance transforms, and repeated attention to boundary pixels.

◆ Prediction

Expect the 3D surface here to keep filling in behind the simulation package rather than leading it, given that 3.8-2 follows the 3D simulation release by two months. The entries give no indication that the NA work is finished, since it has already spanned two releases.

Alternatives to n1qn1c and spatstat.geom

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 n1qn1c or spatstat.geom.

See all n1qn1c alternatives → · See all spatstat.geom alternatives →

Recent activity from n1qn1c and spatstat.geom

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 20d agospatstat.geomMore three-dimensional point pattern capabilities
  2. 2mo agospatstat.geomBetter boundary pixel handling when discretising windows
  3. 4mo agon1qn1crestart and assign flags fixed; sanitizer issues cleared
  4. 4mo agon1qn1cGlobal state converted to thread_local
  5. 6mo agospatstat.geomAnalytic level sets and signed distance transforms
  6. 10mo agospatstat.geomNA object handling extended; clickpoly gains grid snapping
  7. 1y agospatstat.geomNA spatial objects, hole removal and connected components
  8. 1y agospatstat.geomNonlinear colour and symbol maps; half-open quadrat tiles
  9. 1y agon1qn1cFunction-pointer API decouples nlmixr2est releases

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between n1qn1c and spatstat.geom?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. spatstat.geom 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 n1qn1c better than spatstat.geom?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. spatstat.geom 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 n1qn1c?

Top n1qn1c alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "n1qn1c alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/n1qn1c for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to spatstat.geom?

Top spatstat.geom alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "spatstat.geom alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/spatstat-geom for the full list with editorial commentary on each.