tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
slider vs sparsevctrs
A side-by-side editorial comparison of slider and sparsevctrs — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
slider vs sparsevctrs: at a glance
What is slider?
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
What is sparsevctrs?
Sparse vectors stopped being a storage trick and became something you can do arithmetic on
sparsevctrs supplies sparse vectors that live inside ordinary data frames and tibbles, which is what lets tidymodels carry wide, mostly-zero feature matrices without densifying them. Through 0.2.0 and 0.3.0 the package built out a computation layer on top of that storage — first summary statistics, then scalar and element-wise arithmetic — and everything since has been correctness work at the C level.
slider vs sparsevctrs: editorial side-by-side
slider
0.0ANALYTICS
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
◆ Current state
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
◆ Where it's heading
Two forces set the release schedule, and neither is feature demand. The first is CRAN closing off non-API C entry points, which packages reaching into R internals for speed have to unwind one accessor at a time — slider is on its second such release with no visible loss of function. The second is vctrs, whose breaking changes slider absorbs ahead of time; 0.2.2 exists solely to prepare for one. The last release that added anything callers can see was 0.3.0's slider_plus() and slider_minus() extension hooks.
◆ Prediction
Expect the pattern to continue: another non-API accessor removal or a vctrs compatibility release, rather than new window functions. The C-level surface is the only part of this package still moving.
sparsevctrs
0.0ANALYTICS
Sparse vectors stopped being a storage trick and became something you can do arithmetic on
◆ Current state
sparsevctrs supplies sparse vectors that live inside ordinary data frames and tibbles, which is what lets tidymodels carry wide, mostly-zero feature matrices without densifying them. Through 0.2.0 and 0.3.0 the package built out a computation layer on top of that storage — first summary statistics, then scalar and element-wise arithmetic — and everything since has been correctness work at the C level.
◆ Where it's heading
The release pattern splits cleanly at 0.3.0. Before it, new functions arrive in batches; after it, five consecutive releases are bug fixes, and the bugs are the kind that come with hand-written sparse kernels: a stack imbalance when sparse_multiplication() returns all zeros, undefined behaviour in multiplication, type errors in sparse_is_na(), coercion failures on NA input. That is the expected cost of an ALTREP-backed numerical layer, and the fixes are landing steadily.
◆ Prediction
With the arithmetic surface in place and the recent releases all narrow fixes, the next one is more likely another correctness patch than a new function family. The R devel fix in 0.3.5 suggests upcoming R releases are the current source of breakage.
Alternatives to slider and sparsevctrs
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 slider or sparsevctrs.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
hoardr
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
riem
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
See all slider alternatives → · See all sparsevctrs alternatives →
Recent activity from slider and sparsevctrs
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agosparsevctrsSparse character vector fix for R devel
- 9mo agosliderNon-API OBJECT() removed and a vctrs C signature fixed
- 1y agosparsevctrsStack imbalance in sparse multiplication fixed
- 1y agosparsevctrsSparse matrix coercion no longer errors on NA input
- 1y agosparsevctrssparsity() fixed for classed numeric vectors
- 1y agosparsevctrsUndefined behaviour in sparse multiplication fixed
- 1y agosparsevctrsScalar and element-wise arithmetic for sparse vectors ⚡
- 1y agosliderNon-API STRING_PTR removed; R 4.0.0 now required
- 2y agosliderValgrind test fixes and dependency version bumps
- 3y agosliderExtension hooks let clock and almanac types serve as an index
- 5y agosliderInternal vec_order usage updated ahead of a vctrs break
- 5y agosliderlong double alignment issue fixed for CRAN sanitisers
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between slider and sparsevctrs?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. slider and sparsevctrs 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 slider better than sparsevctrs?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. slider and sparsevctrs 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 slider?
Top slider alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "slider alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/slider for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to sparsevctrs?
Top sparsevctrs alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "sparsevctrs alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/sparsevctrs for the full list with editorial commentary on each.