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rosm vs silx

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

rosm vs silx: at a glance

Featurerosmsilx
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesmapping, openstreetmap, raster-tiles, r-packagescientific-computing, data-visualization, synchrotron, qt
Last editorial update3d ago4h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

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.

Read the full rosm trajectory →

What is silx?

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

Read the full silx trajectory →

rosm vs silx: editorial side-by-side

R
rosm
ANALYTICS
0.0

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.

S
silx
ANALYTICS
5.0

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

◆ Current state

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

◆ Where it's heading

The cadence has slowed markedly since April, and the content has shifted from structural change to plotting and colormap refinement. That is the expected shape after a binding migration: downstream beamline code needs a stable target, so the project trades feature velocity for a quiet surface. The gap between 3.0.1 in May and 3.1.0 in August is the clearest signal of the deliberate slowdown.

◆ Prediction

Expect further point releases servicing the plotting and fitting widgets rather than another structural change, with feature work continuing to arrive in the 3.1.x minors rather than patches.

Alternatives to rosm and silx

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 rosm or silx.

See all rosm alternatives → · See all silx alternatives →

Recent activity from rosm and silx

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

  1. 7h agosilxFitWidget fix for loading a fit function from file
  2. 9d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
  3. 3mo agosilx3.0.1: silx view fails to disable HDF5 file locking
  4. 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required
  5. 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
  6. 6mo agorosmDocumentation syntax and CI cleanup after the rewrite
  7. 7mo agorosmEntire previous API deprecated; new wk and curl backend
  8. 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
  9. 7y agorosmFix cancellation during tile stitching
  10. 9y agorosmDownloads move to curl; foreach dependency removed
  11. 10y agorosmFaster tile merging and overlay helpers
  12. 10y agorosmosm.raster() exports tiles as RasterStack objects

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between rosm and silx?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. silx 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 rosm better than silx?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. silx 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 Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

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.

What are the best alternatives to silx?

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