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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Obsidian vs tealeaves

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

Obsidian vs tealeaves: at a glance

FeatureObsidiantealeaves
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score5.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescli, local-first, desktop-client, release-rollupsplant-physiology, energy-balance, leaf-temperature, units
Last editorial update22d ago6h ago
WebsiteVisit →

What is Obsidian?

Obsidian's feed has gone quiet: version pointers up top, the bundled CLI the last real move.

The four most recent entries are pointers, not release notes — each says only that the build includes everything up to Obsidian Desktop v1.13.1 through v1.13.4, with no description of what actually changed. The last substantive work visible in this window is from March, when the installer started bundling a dedicated CLI binary instead of invoking the Electron executable, cutting terminal round-trip time and adding shell autocompletion for Obsidian commands. Everything published since is content-free rollup text.

Read the full Obsidian trajectory →

What is tealeaves?

A leaf-temperature model that finished its job in 2020 and has stayed finished

tealeaves solves for leaf temperature from an energy balance, using explicit units to keep parameters consistent and modelling lower and upper leaf surfaces separately so sensible and latent heat loss are computed for each. The package reached its current form in 2020 across versions 1.0.2 to 1.0.5, which added direct or functional sky temperature, dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility, and fixes to a parameter-crossing bug that the new sky temperature function had introduced. The only release since, v1.0.6 in July 2022, corrects a name in the citation file, stops parallel evaluation in a vignette and fixes README links.

Read the full tealeaves trajectory →

Obsidian vs tealeaves: editorial side-by-side

O
Obsidian
INFRA · APIS
5.0

Obsidian's feed has gone quiet: version pointers up top, the bundled CLI the last real move.

◆ Current state

The four most recent entries are pointers, not release notes — each says only that the build includes everything up to Obsidian Desktop v1.13.1 through v1.13.4, with no description of what actually changed. The last substantive work visible in this window is from March, when the installer started bundling a dedicated CLI binary instead of invoking the Electron executable, cutting terminal round-trip time and adding shell autocompletion for Obsidian commands. Everything published since is content-free rollup text.

◆ Where it's heading

Treat the CLI work as the signal and the rollups as noise: a first-class terminal entry point is what lets external tools and scripts drive a vault, which is the difference between a local-first notes app and a substrate other software can build on. The follow-up entries — a macOS path check and a hidden socket dotfile — show the CLI being hardened for real cross-platform use rather than shipped and abandoned. Meanwhile this feed itself has stopped carrying detail, deferring to the desktop release notes it points at.

◆ Prediction

The visible thread is CLI and TUI ergonomics, so continued work on that surface is the safest read; nothing in these entries supports a confident call beyond it. What is genuinely unclear is whether this feed resumes describing releases or stays a pointer to the desktop changelog.

T
tealeaves
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A leaf-temperature model that finished its job in 2020 and has stayed finished

◆ Current state

tealeaves solves for leaf temperature from an energy balance, using explicit units to keep parameters consistent and modelling lower and upper leaf surfaces separately so sensible and latent heat loss are computed for each. The package reached its current form in 2020 across versions 1.0.2 to 1.0.5, which added direct or functional sky temperature, dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility, and fixes to a parameter-crossing bug that the new sky temperature function had introduced. The only release since, v1.0.6 in July 2022, corrects a name in the citation file, stops parallel evaluation in a vignette and fixes README links.

◆ Where it's heading

This is finished scientific software. The arc runs from a 1.0.0 that already described the full model, through a usability decision in 1.0.1 to accept unitless values and assign units rather than demand them, to a 2020 cluster of compatibility and correctness work around publication. Nothing since has touched the model, and the 2022 release is pure paperwork. Its most instructive entry remains 1.0.5, where a new feature silently produced incorrect parameter crossing and the fix arrived with tests to pin the behaviour.

◆ Prediction

Expect nothing unless a dependency or CRAN check forces a release; on this record any such release will be documentation and packaging rather than a change to the energy balance.

Alternatives to Obsidian and tealeaves

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 Obsidian or tealeaves.

See all Obsidian alternatives → · See all tealeaves alternatives →

Recent activity from Obsidian and tealeaves

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

  1. 24d agoObsidianRollup pointer to Desktop v1.13.4
  2. 1mo agoObsidianRollup pointer to Desktop v1.13.3
  3. 1mo agoObsidianRollup pointer to Desktop v1.13.2
  4. 2mo agoObsidianRollup pointer to Desktop v1.13.1
  5. 5mo agoObsidianInstaller bundles a native CLI binary, replacing the Electron call
  6. 5mo agoObsidianCLI path and socket fixes for macOS and Linux
  7. 4y agotealeavesCitation file, vignette and README fixes
  8. 6y agotealeavesParameter-crossing bug fixed with tests; coverage added
  9. 6y agotealeavesFix for custom sky temperature function being overwritten
  10. 6y agotealeavesSky temperature as value or function; dplyr 1.0.0 compatibility
  11. 7y agotealeavesUnitless parameter values now accepted and assigned units
  12. 7y agotealeavesFirst release: leaf energy balance with per-surface conductances

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Obsidian and tealeaves?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Obsidian is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 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 Obsidian better than tealeaves?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Obsidian is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Obsidian?

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

What are the best alternatives to tealeaves?

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