ggpointless
ggpointless keeps adding the ggplot2 layers nobody else bothered to write.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
glcdp vs tf
A side-by-side editorial comparison of glcdp and tf — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-packages
glcdp vs tf: at a glance
What is glcdp?
glcdp reaches 1.0.0 with a stable schema contract behind its data explorer.
glcdp imports light-logger data packages published to the GLC standard, driven by declared schemas rather than format-specific readers. 0.9.3 added glc_explore(), a Shiny application for browsing the registry and exporting an annotated reproducible script. 1.0.0 promotes schema 3.0.2 to the default and primary stable import contract and makes schema-declared variable types and factor-level order drive the import itself.
What is tf?
tf gave functional data a second dimension: curves whose values are vectors.
tf supplies the vector classes underneath the tidyfun stack — tfd for raw functional observations, tfb for basis-represented ones, both built on vctrs so curves sit in a data frame column and behave like any other vector. Until July that codomain was scalar. The 0.5.0 release adds tfd_mv and tfb_mv, classes for functions whose values are vectors in R^d, and rebuilds the analysis verbs to match.
glcdp vs tf: editorial side-by-side
glcdp
6.3INFRA · APIS
glcdp reaches 1.0.0 with a stable schema contract behind its data explorer.
◆ Current state
glcdp imports light-logger data packages published to the GLC standard, driven by declared schemas rather than format-specific readers. 0.9.3 added glc_explore(), a Shiny application for browsing the registry and exporting an annotated reproducible script. 1.0.0 promotes schema 3.0.2 to the default and primary stable import contract and makes schema-declared variable types and factor-level order drive the import itself.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is serving two audiences from one model. Programmatic users get glc_collect(), extract_metadata() and add_metadata(), with imports that reject file groups whose factor labels or level order disagree. Interactive users get an Explorer that filters by device, wearing position, modality, role and data state, pages large inventories at 100 rows, and caches remote metadata for immutable revisions. Schemas 1.0.0 and 2.0.0 stay reachable as barebones legacy paths.
◆ Prediction
With 3.0.2 named the primary stable contract and the older schemas explicitly labelled legacy, retiring the barebones paths is the most likely next structural move. The notes give no indication of work beyond the current schema line.
tf
0.0INFRA · APIS
tf gave functional data a second dimension: curves whose values are vectors.
◆ Current state
tf supplies the vector classes underneath the tidyfun stack — tfd for raw functional observations, tfb for basis-represented ones, both built on vctrs so curves sit in a data frame column and behave like any other vector. Until July that codomain was scalar. The 0.5.0 release adds tfd_mv and tfb_mv, classes for functions whose values are vectors in R^d, and rebuilds the analysis verbs to match.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is widening what a functional observation can be, then porting the toolkit onto it. Registration arrived first in 0.4.0 for univariate curves and immediately gained an srvf_mv method for aligning components jointly, and tfb_mfpc() ports principal component analysis to the multivariate case with a single set of scores shared across components. Alongside that runs steady dependency shedding — mvtnorm and pracma both replaced by inlined samplers that reproduce prior draws bit-for-bit, glue dropped for cli in the previous release — and an unusually long tail of NA-handling and edge-case fixes, several caught in pre-release review of the new classes.
◆ Prediction
The new classes ship with FPCA, registration and shape alignment but the release notes describe tidyfun::tf_unnest() as the consumer of one new export, so the visible next step is the rest of the tidyfun stack catching up to vector-valued columns. Expect follow-up patches on the vctrs casting paths, which is where most of this release's late fixes clustered.
Alternatives to glcdp and tf
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 glcdp or tf.
mpactr
mpactr spent two spring releases normalizing case in metadata after users kept tripping on it.
surveytidy
surveytidy taught every dplyr verb to operate on a whole collection of surveys at once.
surveycore
surveycore declared its API stable with every survey design type covered.
PEIMAN2
PEIMAN2 cut its annotation database loose from its release cycle without breaking CRAN.
prospectr
prospectr spent its biggest release in years fixing spectra it had been quietly mangling.
Recent activity from glcdp and tf
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 13d agoglcdpSchema 3.0.2 becomes the default import contract
- 29d agoglcdpglc_explore() adds a Shiny browser and metadata joins ⚡
- 1mo agoglcdpLogo and favicon refresh
- 1mo agotfVector-valued functional data becomes a first-class type ⚡
- 5mo agotfCurve registration, five depth measures and sub-domain splitting
- 2y agotfFix: tf_crosscov normalization
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between glcdp and tf?
Both compete on the same themes — r-packages — within Infra & APIs. glcdp is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), 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 glcdp better than tf?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. glcdp is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 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 glcdp?
Top glcdp alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "glcdp alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/glcdp for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to tf?
Top tf alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "tf alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tf for the full list with editorial commentary on each.