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distributions3 vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus

A side-by-side editorial comparison of distributions3 and ManageEngine ADManager Plus — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

distributions3 vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus: at a glance

Featuredistributions3ManageEngine ADManager Plus
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score6.32.5
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesr-package, probability-distributions, empirical-distributions, likelihood-inferenceactive directory, identity management, marketplace extensions, maintenance builds
Last editorial update1h ago20d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is distributions3?

distributions3 0.3.0 adds sample-based distributions and likelihood derivatives

An R package giving probability distributions a consistent object interface - d/p/q/r functions, moments, and prodist() methods that pull a fitted distribution out of a regression object. Version 0.3.0 is the first substantive release under Achim Zeileis's maintenance, and it widens what a distribution is allowed to be: Empirical() represents a distribution by a random sample rather than by parameters, and numerical fallbacks now fill in cdf(), pdf(), quantile(), random() and the moments for any object that implements only some of them. New score() and hessian() generics compute first and second derivatives of the log-likelihood with respect to the parameters, analytically for a few distributions and numerically for the rest.

Read the full distributions3 trajectory →

What is ManageEngine ADManager Plus?

ADManager Plus opened to third-party identity apps in January, then shipped six months of fixes.

Six builds since late January, and five are almost entirely defect work: scheduled reports failing to send as email content, mobile app logins on iOS and Android, CPU spikes after upgrade, a broken Log360 SOAR integration, M365 automation-policy tasks failing, and a JRE bump to 11.86.19. The exceptions are Build 8036, which added Security group type to the M365 Modify Single Group action, and Build 8034, which introduced Marketplace Extensions so administrators can install third-party application extensions and manage identities in those applications from inside ADManager Plus.

Read the full ManageEngine ADManager Plus trajectory →

distributions3 vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus: editorial side-by-side

D6.3

distributions3 0.3.0 adds sample-based distributions and likelihood derivatives

◆ Current state

An R package giving probability distributions a consistent object interface - d/p/q/r functions, moments, and prodist() methods that pull a fitted distribution out of a regression object. Version 0.3.0 is the first substantive release under Achim Zeileis's maintenance, and it widens what a distribution is allowed to be: Empirical() represents a distribution by a random sample rather than by parameters, and numerical fallbacks now fill in cdf(), pdf(), quantile(), random() and the moments for any object that implements only some of them. New score() and hessian() generics compute first and second derivatives of the log-likelihood with respect to the parameters, analytically for a few distributions and numerically for the rest.

◆ Where it's heading

Growth used to arrive as new distribution families contributed from outside - the extreme-value set, Erlang, later the Poisson binomial. This release changes the axis: alongside two new distributions it adds an inference layer (score, hessian) and a forecast-evaluation one (crps() methods against scoringRules), which are capabilities about distributions rather than more of them. Dependency weight is being cut at the same time, with ggplot2 demoted to Suggests and glue replaced by base R sprintf().

◆ Prediction

With numeric fallbacks and the derivative generics in place, expect analytic score() and hessian() methods to be filled in across more of the distribution catalogue. The constructor-default change is the likeliest source of follow-up fixes, since calls like Poisson() now return a length-zero distribution where they previously errored.

M2.5

ADManager Plus opened to third-party identity apps in January, then shipped six months of fixes.

◆ Current state

Six builds since late January, and five are almost entirely defect work: scheduled reports failing to send as email content, mobile app logins on iOS and Android, CPU spikes after upgrade, a broken Log360 SOAR integration, M365 automation-policy tasks failing, and a JRE bump to 11.86.19. The exceptions are Build 8036, which added Security group type to the M365 Modify Single Group action, and Build 8034, which introduced Marketplace Extensions so administrators can install third-party application extensions and manage identities in those applications from inside ADManager Plus.

◆ Where it's heading

The extensibility move is the only structural change in the window, and nothing has built on it since. What follows is a maintenance train — roughly one build every six to eight weeks, carrying fix roll-ups and one security patch — which reads as a mature on-premises product prioritising stability for existing installs over new surface.

◆ Prediction

On this cadence the next build is most likely another fix roll-up. Whether Marketplace Extensions gets a second act is not answerable from these entries.

Alternatives to distributions3 and ManageEngine ADManager Plus

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 distributions3 or ManageEngine ADManager Plus.

See all distributions3 alternatives → · See all ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives →

Recent activity from distributions3 and ManageEngine ADManager Plus

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

  1. 2h agodistributions3Empirical distributions, plus score and hessian generics
  2. 28d agodistributions3Maintenance moves to Achim Zeileis; moment calculations corrected
  3. 1mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8043: report email, mobile login and CPU spike fixes
  4. 4mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8042: Log360 integration, M365 automation and security fixes
  5. 5mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuilds 8040-8041: JRE 11.86.19 upgrade and GUI fixes
  6. 6mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8036: Security group support in M365 group modification
  7. 6mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8035: %empty% macro and report-basis regression fixes
  8. 7mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8034: Marketplace Extensions manage third-party app identities
  9. 10mo agodistributions3ggplot2 compatibility for the plotting functions
  10. 1y agodistributions3Poisson binomial distribution, with a normal-approximation fallback
  11. 3y agodistributions3is_discrete and is_continuous generics, plus elementwise type-safety
  12. 4y agodistributions3Extreme-value family, Erlang, and a plotting generic

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between distributions3 and ManageEngine ADManager Plus?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. distributions3 is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 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 distributions3 better than ManageEngine ADManager Plus?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. distributions3 is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 1 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 distributions3?

Top distributions3 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "distributions3 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/distributions3-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to ManageEngine ADManager Plus?

Top ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/manageengine-admanager-plus for the full list with editorial commentary on each.