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Comparison · Analytics
r2dii.plot vs silx
A side-by-side editorial comparison of r2dii.plot and silx — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:data-visualization
r2dii.plot vs silx: at a glance
What is r2dii.plot?
PACTA's climate-alignment charting layer split prep from plotting, then settled into stable.
r2dii.plot renders the standard PACTA climate-alignment charts — trajectory, tech mix, emission intensity — as ggplot2 objects, paired with the 2DII colour palettes and theme. Since 0.4.0 the package has exposed a two-step pipeline where prep_*() shapes the data before plot_*() draws it, while qplot_*() remains the one-call convenience path. It declared itself stable in early 2025.
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.
r2dii.plot vs silx: editorial side-by-side
r2dii.plot
0.0ANALYTICS
PACTA's climate-alignment charting layer split prep from plotting, then settled into stable.
◆ Current state
r2dii.plot renders the standard PACTA climate-alignment charts — trajectory, tech mix, emission intensity — as ggplot2 objects, paired with the 2DII colour palettes and theme. Since 0.4.0 the package has exposed a two-step pipeline where prep_*() shapes the data before plot_*() draws it, while qplot_*() remains the one-call convenience path. It declared itself stable in early 2025.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has been converging on a settled contract for years. Early releases chased visual polish and label handling, then 0.2.0 exposed the palette scales as reusable ggplot2 components, and 0.4.0 made the prepared data a first-class artefact rather than something hidden inside a plotting call. Recent releases are documentation and hygiene: a data_dictionary describing every column, definitions filled in, demo datasets renamed to say they are demos. It also moved organisations, from 2DII to RMI-PACTA, and its releases stay pinned to r2dii.analysis and to ggplot2's deprecation schedule.
◆ Prediction
With the lifecycle marked stable and the last two releases confined to dataset naming and documentation, the next release is most likely another ggplot2 compatibility pass or a sibling-package alignment rather than new chart types.
silx
5.0ANALYTICS
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.
Alternatives to r2dii.plot and silx
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 r2dii.plot or silx.
Plotly
Plotly is turning its cloud into a metered compute platform with an enterprise on-ramp.
aniread
aniread stops asking you to know which tracker wrote the file
Rho
Rho's release machinery finally produced a stable build — and it shipped no new product.
Usermaven
Usermaven closed the loop: data comes in from anywhere, and now it goes back out.
OpenCTI
OpenCTI spends a release unblocking queues and hardening upserts
See all r2dii.plot alternatives → · See all silx alternatives →
Recent activity from r2dii.plot and silx
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4h agosilxFitWidget fix for loading a fit function from file
- 9d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
- 3mo agosilx3.0.1: silx view fails to disable HDF5 file locking
- 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required ⚡
- 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
- 1y agor2dii.plotBundled datasets renamed to mark them as demos
- 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
- 1y agor2dii.plotColumn definitions added to the data dictionary
- 1y agor2dii.plotData dictionary lands and the package declares itself stable
- 2y agor2dii.plotr2dii.plot 0.4.0 ⚡
- 3y agor2dii.plotPACTA colour palettes exposed as datasets after org move
- 4y agor2dii.plotTrajectory plots move to percentage scaling alongside r2dii.analysis
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between r2dii.plot and silx?
Both compete on the same themes — data-visualization — within Analytics. 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 r2dii.plot better than silx?
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 r2dii.plot?
Top r2dii.plot alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "r2dii.plot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/r2dii-plot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
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.