incase
A safer case_when that keeps hardening its guarantees while realigning to tidyverse naming.
Comparison · Analytics
qtl2convert vs rnpn
A side-by-side editorial comparison of qtl2convert and rnpn — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
qtl2convert vs rnpn: at a glance
What is qtl2convert?
A conversion utility in pure maintenance mode, tracking R-devel breakage release by release
qtl2convert is the format-shim of the R/qtl2 ecosystem: it moves genotype probabilities and genetic maps between DOQTL, R/qtl and R/qtl2 representations. The last three releases contain no new conversion functions at all — 0.32 fixed a C string comparison flagged by CRAN, 0.34 restored attribute-clearing that R-devel 4.7 changed underneath the package, and 0.36 adjusted parallel core defaults plus a test tweak. The functional surface has been stable since 0.26 added cross2_ril_to_genril().
What is rnpn?
The USA phenology data client rebuilt its entire stack and stopped handing users -9999 as a number.
rnpn is the R client for the USA National Phenology Network, retrieving observation records, phenometrics and gridded model layers. Version 1.3.0 in March 2025 replaced nearly all of its infrastructure at once — sp and raster dropped, terra made optional, XML swapped for xml2, plyr for dplyr, httr and curl for httr2 — and changed what functions return, with tibbles in place of data.tables and empty tibbles in place of NULL on error. The two releases since have completed the missing-value handling and restored performance lost in the transition.
qtl2convert vs rnpn: editorial side-by-side
qtl2convert
0.0ANALYTICS
A conversion utility in pure maintenance mode, tracking R-devel breakage release by release
◆ Current state
qtl2convert is the format-shim of the R/qtl2 ecosystem: it moves genotype probabilities and genetic maps between DOQTL, R/qtl and R/qtl2 representations. The last three releases contain no new conversion functions at all — 0.32 fixed a C string comparison flagged by CRAN, 0.34 restored attribute-clearing that R-devel 4.7 changed underneath the package, and 0.36 adjusted parallel core defaults plus a test tweak. The functional surface has been stable since 0.26 added cross2_ril_to_genril().
◆ Where it's heading
This is a package whose release cadence is driven by its dependencies, not its roadmap. Two of the last three releases exist purely because upstream R or CRAN's check suite moved; the maintainer responds within weeks and ships. The cores=0 change in 0.36 is the only user-visible behavior shift in over a year, and it landed simultaneously in sibling package qtl2fst — this is a maintainer-wide convention change, not a qtl2convert decision.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to be triggered by another R-devel or CRAN check change rather than a feature request, following the same pattern as 0.32 and 0.34.
rnpn
0.0ANALYTICS
The USA phenology data client rebuilt its entire stack and stopped handing users -9999 as a number.
◆ Current state
rnpn is the R client for the USA National Phenology Network, retrieving observation records, phenometrics and gridded model layers. Version 1.3.0 in March 2025 replaced nearly all of its infrastructure at once — sp and raster dropped, terra made optional, XML swapped for xml2, plyr for dplyr, httr and curl for httr2 — and changed what functions return, with tibbles in place of data.tables and empty tibbles in place of NULL on error. The two releases since have completed the missing-value handling and restored performance lost in the transition.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being brought onto the current R stack and made honest about missing data, and those are the same project. Converting the -9999 sentinel to NA started in 1.3.0 for download functions and was extended to all columns in 1.4.1; the string "emptyvalue" got the same treatment. Beyond the migration, the feature additions are modest and specific to the domain, such as custom start and end dates for defining a phenometrics season.
◆ Prediction
With the dependency migration finished and sentinel handling now applied across all columns, the next releases most likely return to domain features and to fixes surfaced by the server side, which has already prompted work through migrations and backend moves. The removed progress indicator is an acknowledged regression that may come back.
Alternatives to qtl2convert and rnpn
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 qtl2convert or rnpn.
reda
A mature recurrent-event toolkit in careful maintenance, shedding weight rather than adding surface.
TidyDensity
A distribution catalogue that grows by one family at a time, and rarely breaks anything.
cfbfastr
College football's open data client hit v2 — and now reports how many API calls you have left.
GeneNMF
GeneNMF rebuilt how it derives meta-programs, changing every result it had produced.
rempsyc
Publication-ready psychology tables and plots, tracking APA style as closely as the software allows.
See all qtl2convert alternatives → · See all rnpn alternatives →
Recent activity from qtl2convert and rnpn
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoqtl2convertcores=0 now leaves one core free instead of taking all
- 2mo agoqtl2convertAttribute-clearing fix for R-devel 4.7
- 3mo agoqtl2convertC string comparison fix in encode_geno()
- 11mo agornpnSentinel -9999 now converted to NA across all columns
- 1y agornpnCustom season windows for phenometrics, and a speed regression fixed
- 1y agornpnDependency stack and return types replaced wholesale ⚡
- 1y agornpnBackfilled notes for seven earlier maintenance releases
- 2y agoqtl2convertBug fix in probs_doqtl_to_qtl2()
- 4y agoqtl2convertMaintenance release for a NEWS.md typo
- 4y agoqtl2convertAdds cross2_ril_to_genril() for RIL cross conversion
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between qtl2convert and rnpn?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. qtl2convert and rnpn 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 qtl2convert better than rnpn?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. qtl2convert and rnpn 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 qtl2convert?
Top qtl2convert alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "qtl2convert alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/qtl2convert for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rnpn?
Top rnpn alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rnpn alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rnpn for the full list with editorial commentary on each.