paleobuddy
paleobuddy can now simulate trait-dependent diversification, not just birth-death.
Comparison · Analytics
qtl vs rosm
A side-by-side editorial comparison of qtl and rosm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
qtl vs rosm: at a glance
What is qtl?
R/qtl is in pure custodial mode: every recent release answers a compiler, not a user
R/qtl is the long-established R package for QTL mapping in experimental crosses, covering interval mapping, composite interval mapping, multiple-QTL model fitting and the associated cross data formats. Nothing in the recent release history adds capability. Version 1.74 removes an include that started warning on CRAN, 1.72 improves an error message in cim(), and 1.70 migrates the C code from Calloc/Realloc/Free to their R_-prefixed equivalents for R-devel.
What is rosm?
rosm 0.3.0 silently deprecates its entire API and rebuilds on wk and curl
rosm downloads and stitches raster map tiles from OpenStreetMap and similar sources for use in R. After six years without a release, 0.3.0 deprecated the whole previous API, dropped the rgdal dependency, and introduced a replacement built on wk geometry and curl's multi-download interface. The follow-up 0.3.1 is documentation and CI work, plus test skips for Bing and Stamen URLs that no longer resolve.
qtl vs rosm: editorial side-by-side
qtl
0.0ANALYTICS
R/qtl is in pure custodial mode: every recent release answers a compiler, not a user
◆ Current state
R/qtl is the long-established R package for QTL mapping in experimental crosses, covering interval mapping, composite interval mapping, multiple-QTL model fitting and the associated cross data formats. Nothing in the recent release history adds capability. Version 1.74 removes an include that started warning on CRAN, 1.72 improves an error message in cim(), and 1.70 migrates the C code from Calloc/Realloc/Free to their R_-prefixed equivalents for R-devel.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being maintained, not developed. The work divides cleanly into keeping the compiled code building against successive R and toolchain versions, and fixing narrow bugs reported through the issue tracker. The C-level migrations in particular are compliance with R's tightening of its C interface rather than anything chosen. Users should read the stability as maturity: the analysis surface has been fixed for years and the maintainer is keeping it installable.
◆ Prediction
R has continued to restrict its non-API C entry points, and this package has already made two such migrations, so further compile-time compliance work is the most likely content of the next release.
rosm
0.0ANALYTICS
rosm 0.3.0 silently deprecates its entire API and rebuilds on wk and curl
◆ Current state
rosm downloads and stitches raster map tiles from OpenStreetMap and similar sources for use in R. After six years without a release, 0.3.0 deprecated the whole previous API, dropped the rgdal dependency, and introduced a replacement built on wk geometry and curl's multi-download interface. The follow-up 0.3.1 is documentation and CI work, plus test skips for Bing and Stamen URLs that no longer resolve.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being brought back from dormancy on modern foundations rather than extended. rgdal's retirement forced the issue, and the maintainer used it to replace the download path with concurrent curl requests and to hand geometry handling to wk. What follows is consolidation: dead built-in tile sources are being tested around rather than replaced, which leaves the source registry as the obvious unfinished edge.
◆ Prediction
The dead Bing and Stamen endpoints are currently skipped rather than fixed, so the next release most likely prunes or re-points the built-in tile source list and continues retiring the silently deprecated functions.
Alternatives to qtl and rosm
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 qtl or rosm.
geodist
geodist stays dependency-free and fast, and warns you when 'cheap' distances stop being honest.
errors
errors keeps making uncertainty print the way each scientific field expects.
CMAQ
CMAQ went global in v5.5, and has been patching that surface ever since.
enpls
enpls has not changed its statistics since 2016 — only its website, twice.
grex
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
Recent activity from qtl and rosm
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6mo agorosmDocumentation syntax and CI cleanup after the rewrite
- 6mo agorosmEntire previous API deprecated; new wk and curl backend ⚡
- 8mo agoqtlRemove R_ext/PrtUtil.h include flagged by CRAN
- 8mo agoqtlClearer cim() error when multiple phenotypes are passed
- 1y agoqtlC memory calls migrated to R_Calloc/R_Realloc/R_Free
- 2y agoqtlFix Rprintf call and remaining compiler warnings
- 2y agoqtlFix summary.scanone() thresholds and csvs phenotype reading
- 3y agoqtlFix addint()/addcovarint() with X chromosome QTL and missing phenotypes
- 7y agorosmFix cancellation during tile stitching
- 9y agorosmDownloads move to curl; foreach dependency removed
- 10y agorosmFaster tile merging and overlay helpers
- 10y agorosmosm.raster() exports tiles as RasterStack objects
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between qtl and rosm?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. qtl and rosm 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 qtl better than rosm?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. qtl and rosm 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 qtl?
Top qtl alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "qtl alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/qtl-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rosm?
Top rosm alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rosm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rosm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.