rnaturalearth
rnaturalearth finished its sp exit and is now optimising how the data actually arrives.
Comparison · Analytics
posterior vs taxize
A side-by-side editorial comparison of posterior and taxize — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
posterior vs taxize: at a glance
What is posterior?
posterior keeps deepening two things: the rvar type and Pareto-based diagnostics.
The releases in this window advance on two fronts. The rvar random-variable type gained factor and ordered subtypes (1.4.0), rvar-indexed slicing and `rvar_ifelse()` (1.5.0), base `%*%` matrix multiplication and indexed variable names (1.6.0). Separately, Pareto diagnostics have grown from `pareto_smooth()` options and individual `pareto_khat()`-family functions (1.6.0) through `pit()` for draws and rvars (1.6.1) to exported generalized-Pareto functions and `pareto_pit` (1.7.0). 1.7.1 is a paperwork release for a JOSS submission.
What is taxize?
taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
The most recent work is migration: 0.10.0 replaced the deprecated Global Names Resolver functions with GNA equivalents (`gna_verifier`, `gna_parse`), rewrote `scrapenames` for the new API, and updated its rredlist usage to match that package's own v4 rewrite. 0.10.1 then tuned `gna_verifier`'s batch size to 50. The older entries in the window show the same shape from a different angle: `tnrs()` made defunct because the service died, COL dropped over rate limiting, NatureServe reworked for a new API, and a package-wide parameter rename to `sci` / `com` / `id` / `sci_com` / `sci_id`.
posterior vs taxize: editorial side-by-side
posterior
0.0ANALYTICS
posterior keeps deepening two things: the rvar type and Pareto-based diagnostics.
◆ Current state
The releases in this window advance on two fronts. The rvar random-variable type gained factor and ordered subtypes (1.4.0), rvar-indexed slicing and `rvar_ifelse()` (1.5.0), base `%*%` matrix multiplication and indexed variable names (1.6.0). Separately, Pareto diagnostics have grown from `pareto_smooth()` options and individual `pareto_khat()`-family functions (1.6.0) through `pit()` for draws and rvars (1.6.1) to exported generalized-Pareto functions and `pareto_pit` (1.7.0). 1.7.1 is a paperwork release for a JOSS submission.
◆ Where it's heading
posterior is positioning itself as shared infrastructure rather than an end-user package: 1.7.0 explicitly exports generalized-Pareto machinery 'for use in other packages', and the JOSS paper is a citation vehicle for the same audience. The rvar work points the same way — a random-variable type other Bayesian packages can build on. Cadence is steady but unhurried, roughly one feature release a year.
◆ Prediction
More diagnostic functions are likely to be exported for downstream reuse, following the pattern 1.7.0 established with the generalized-Pareto helpers.
taxize
0.0ANALYTICS
taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
◆ Current state
The most recent work is migration: 0.10.0 replaced the deprecated Global Names Resolver functions with GNA equivalents (`gna_verifier`, `gna_parse`), rewrote `scrapenames` for the new API, and updated its rredlist usage to match that package's own v4 rewrite. 0.10.1 then tuned `gna_verifier`'s batch size to 50. The older entries in the window show the same shape from a different angle: `tnrs()` made defunct because the service died, COL dropped over rate limiting, NatureServe reworked for a new API, and a package-wide parameter rename to `sci` / `com` / `id` / `sci_com` / `sci_id`.
◆ Where it's heading
taxize's job is aggregating a dozen taxonomic databases, so most of its engineering is downstream of decisions it does not control — sources go away, endpoints change, rate limits appear. The visible trend is consolidation: fewer, better-maintained backends rather than broader coverage. Release cadence has thinned to roughly one a year, and the rredlist coupling means it now inherits that package's breaking changes too.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to track another upstream source change rather than add new databases; the deprecated-parameter aliases from the 0.9.97 rename are also overdue for removal.
Alternatives to posterior and taxize
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 posterior or taxize.
writexl
writexl spent nine years refusing to do formatting, then shipped all of it in 2.0.0.
rgbif
rgbif is steadily pushing users off paged searching and onto real downloads.
rstanarm
rstanarm is community-maintained now, tracking Stan and lme4 rather than adding models.
taxa
taxa started a ground-up rewrite in 2021 and has published almost nothing since.
rotl
rotl's whole release history is keeping name matching honest against a moving taxonomy.
See all posterior alternatives → · See all taxize alternatives →
Recent activity from posterior and taxize
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2mo agoposteriorposterior 1.7.1 released for JOSS paper
- 3mo agoposteriorposterior 1.7.0 exports generalized-Pareto functions
- 5mo agotaxizetaxize 0.10.1 lowers gna_verifier batch size
- 10mo agoposteriorposterior 1.6.1 adds pit() for draws and rvars
- 1y agotaxizetaxize 0.10.0 migrates to GNA and the new rredlist API
- 1y agoposteriorposterior 1.6.0 adds Pareto diagnostics and ESS-based thinning
- 2y agoposteriorposterior 1.5.0 adds nested-Rhat and rvar indexing
- 3y agoposteriorposterior 1.4.0 adds factor and ordered rvar subtypes
- 5y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.99 retires tnrs(), paginates WORMS queries
- 5y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.98 adds NCBI and zoological rank names
- 6y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.97 standardises parameter names package-wide
- 6y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.96 updates NatureServe for its new API
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between posterior and taxize?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. posterior and taxize 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 posterior better than taxize?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. posterior and taxize 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 posterior?
Top posterior alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "posterior alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/posterior for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to taxize?
Top taxize alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "taxize alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/taxize for the full list with editorial commentary on each.