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Comparison · Infra & APIs

eratosthenes vs KRLS

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

Shared themes:r-package

eratosthenes vs KRLS: at a glance

FeatureeratosthenesKRLS
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesarchaeology, bayesian-inference, mcmc, input-validationkernel-methods, machine-learning, causal-inference, scalability
Last editorial update1h ago50m ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is eratosthenes?

eratosthenes spends 0.1.0 hardening inputs rather than adding chronology methods.

eratosthenes does Bayesian estimation of archaeological chronologies from relative sequences, absolute constraints and artifact assemblages. The 0.0.9 line built out the inference diagnostics — traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE reporting, displacement estimation — and then consolidated artifact probability-density estimation into a single gibbs_ad_type(). The 0.1.0 tag turns outward instead, adding validators for every user-supplied structure and replacing seq_check() with a more informative seq_diag().

Read the full eratosthenes trajectory →

What is KRLS?

A 2014 kernel regression method getting the scalability and tooling it never had, in a three-release afternoon.

KRLS fits kernel regularized least squares, a method whose exact form requires an n-by-n kernel matrix and therefore stops being usable well before modern sample sizes. Three releases shipped within 33 minutes of each other addressed exactly that: a Nystrom approximation mode with conditional approximate inference, kmeans landmark selection with an accessor for reusing landmarks across fits, and GCV as an alternative to leave-one-out for choosing lambda. The default path remains the exact one, and existing calls are unchanged.

Read the full KRLS trajectory →

eratosthenes vs KRLS: editorial side-by-side

E
eratosthenes
INFRA · APIS
2.5

eratosthenes spends 0.1.0 hardening inputs rather than adding chronology methods.

◆ Current state

eratosthenes does Bayesian estimation of archaeological chronologies from relative sequences, absolute constraints and artifact assemblages. The 0.0.9 line built out the inference diagnostics — traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE reporting, displacement estimation — and then consolidated artifact probability-density estimation into a single gibbs_ad_type(). The 0.1.0 tag turns outward instead, adding validators for every user-supplied structure and replacing seq_check() with a more informative seq_diag().

◆ Where it's heading

The package is moving from research code to something a non-author can run. Consolidating estimation behind one function, then wrapping every input class in a validator, are the two steps that make failures legible instead of cryptic, and the diagnostics added earlier serve the same end for the sampler itself. Nothing in the window changes the underlying model; the work is all about making it usable and its output checkable.

◆ Prediction

With inputs validated and diagnostics in place, the next release is more likely to extend the constraint or assemblage modelling than to keep reworking the interface, though the feed's three sparse tags give little to read a cadence from.

K
KRLS
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A 2014 kernel regression method getting the scalability and tooling it never had, in a three-release afternoon.

◆ Current state

KRLS fits kernel regularized least squares, a method whose exact form requires an n-by-n kernel matrix and therefore stops being usable well before modern sample sizes. Three releases shipped within 33 minutes of each other addressed exactly that: a Nystrom approximation mode with conditional approximate inference, kmeans landmark selection with an accessor for reusing landmarks across fits, and GCV as an alternative to leave-one-out for choosing lambda. The default path remains the exact one, and existing calls are unchanged.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is being modernized on two tracks that reinforce each other. The interface track — a formula method, broom extractors, autoplot, summary and glance diagnostics — makes the estimator fit contemporary R workflows without touching the algorithm, and the notes are explicit that existing matrix-interface calls remain bit-identical. The performance track removes the reasons it could not be run at all: the Nystrom mode for the kernel matrix, and an average-marginal-effects variance computation rewritten via a row-sum identity to quadratic per-predictor cost. Everything is added as opt-in, which suggests the goal is reaching new users without disturbing replication of published results.

◆ Prediction

With approximation, landmark reuse, and a second lambda criterion now in place, the remaining gap is guidance on when to trust them; the scaling vignette shipped alongside GCV points to more empirical validation rather than new estimation machinery.

Alternatives to eratosthenes and KRLS

Other Infra & APIs 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 eratosthenes or KRLS.

See all eratosthenes alternatives → · See all KRLS alternatives →

Recent activity from eratosthenes and KRLS

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

  1. 10d agoeratosthenesInput validators added; seq_check() replaced by seq_diag()
  2. 3mo agoKRLSGCV added as an alternative lambda selection criterion
  3. 3mo agoKRLSKmeans landmark selection and landmark reuse across fits
  4. 3mo agoKRLSNystrom approximation mode lifts the sample-size ceiling
  5. 3mo agoKRLSFormula interface plus broom and autoplot support
  6. 3mo agoKRLSv1.1-0: Update Chad Hazlett affiliation MIT -> UCLA in 9 .Rd files
  7. 1y agoeratosthenesArtifact p.d.f. estimation consolidated into gibbs_ad_type()
  8. 1y agoeratosthenesMCMC diagnostics arrive: traceplots, histograms, batch-means MCSE

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between eratosthenes and KRLS?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. eratosthenes is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 eratosthenes better than KRLS?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. eratosthenes is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to eratosthenes?

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

What are the best alternatives to KRLS?

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