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silx vs tbrf

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

silx vs tbrf: at a glance

Featuresilxtbrf
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score5.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesscientific-computing, data-visualization, synchrotron, qtrolling-statistics, water-quality, time-series, environmental-data
Last editorial update2h ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

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 →

What is tbrf?

Time-based rolling statistics for water-quality data, finally getting plotting and padding built in.

tbrf computes rolling statistics over time windows rather than fixed row counts — geometric means, confidence intervals and related summaries indexed by date. That distinction matters for irregularly sampled environmental monitoring data, where a fixed-width window spans different amounts of real time. Version 0.1.7 folds in stat_stepribbon() from ggalt, ships an Entero example dataset for lognormal workflows, and adds na.pad across the tbr_ family.

Read the full tbrf trajectory →

silx vs tbrf: editorial side-by-side

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.

T
tbrf
ANALYTICS
0.0

Time-based rolling statistics for water-quality data, finally getting plotting and padding built in.

◆ Current state

tbrf computes rolling statistics over time windows rather than fixed row counts — geometric means, confidence intervals and related summaries indexed by date. That distinction matters for irregularly sampled environmental monitoring data, where a fixed-width window spans different amounts of real time. Version 0.1.7 folds in stat_stepribbon() from ggalt, ships an Entero example dataset for lognormal workflows, and adds na.pad across the tbr_ family.

◆ Where it's heading

The package spent its middle releases absorbing upstream breakage — a lubridate duration redefinition, a tibble 3.0.0 subassignment change, tidyselect internals. The 0.1.7 release breaks that pattern: it is the first in five years to add capability rather than repair it, and it does so by internalising a stat from an abandoned dependency instead of relying on it. Cadence remains very low, with a five-year gap between 0.1.5 and 0.1.6.

◆ Prediction

Absorbing stat_stepribbon() directly suggests further vendoring of the plotting layer rather than new statistical functions. The entries do not indicate which rolling statistics, if any, are queued next.

Alternatives to silx and tbrf

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 silx or tbrf.

See all silx alternatives → · See all tbrf alternatives →

Recent activity from silx and tbrf

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

  1. 5h 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. 0y agotbrfstat_stepribbon vendored in, plus na.pad on all rolling functions
  7. 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
  8. 1y agotbrfgm_mean_ci forwards na.rm and zero.propagate correctly
  9. 6y agotbrfFix internals broken by tibble 3.0.0 subassignment
  10. 6y agotbrfDate windows recomputed with intervals and periods

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between silx and tbrf?

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 silx better than tbrf?

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 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.

What are the best alternatives to tbrf?

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