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Comparison · Infra & APIs
rgm vs usethis
A side-by-side editorial comparison of rgm and usethis — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
rgm vs usethis: at a glance
What is rgm?
A microbiome network model that got itself un-archived by deleting the dependency that killed it.
rgm implements the random graphical model for microbiome interactions across related environments, published in JABES in 2026. The package was archived from CRAN in February 2026 because of its dependency on huge; the recovery release drops that dependency entirely, which cost it the graphical-lasso warm start that used to seed the initial graph — the default is now an empty graph, with warm starts left to the user. A post-processing function returning ggplot diagnostics arrived in the same release.
What is usethis?
usethis swaps in the Air formatter and stops assuming RStudio is the editor
usethis is the tidyverse's project-scaffolding tool and, unlike much of the r-lib cohort, is still actively developed. Recent work moves it off its own assumptions: the cli package replaced its homegrown UI layer in 3.0.0, and 3.2.0 replaced tidy-style formatting with Air while widening what counts as a project root.
rgm vs usethis: editorial side-by-side
rgm
0.0INFRA · APIS
A microbiome network model that got itself un-archived by deleting the dependency that killed it.
◆ Current state
rgm implements the random graphical model for microbiome interactions across related environments, published in JABES in 2026. The package was archived from CRAN in February 2026 because of its dependency on huge; the recovery release drops that dependency entirely, which cost it the graphical-lasso warm start that used to seed the initial graph — the default is now an empty graph, with warm starts left to the user. A post-processing function returning ggplot diagnostics arrived in the same release.
◆ Where it's heading
Three tags shipped inside two hours on one day, and the notes are candid about why: 1.1.0 held the actual work but was never released, 1.2.0 restated it under a higher version to signal the size of the change, and 1.2.1 answered CRAN pre-test feedback. Beyond the archival recovery, the visible work is housekeeping that had accumulated — a shadowed rmvnorm() definition, roxygen import tags that were silently emitting nothing, leftover C++ template scaffolding, and build artifacts under version control. The diagnostics function is the only genuinely new user-facing capability in the window.
◆ Prediction
The immediate task was restoring availability, and that is done; the open question the entries raise is whether losing the graphical-lasso warm start affects convergence in practice, which the new diagnostic plots are positioned to answer.
usethis
0.0INFRA · APIS
usethis swaps in the Air formatter and stops assuming RStudio is the editor
◆ Current state
usethis is the tidyverse's project-scaffolding tool and, unlike much of the r-lib cohort, is still actively developed. Recent work moves it off its own assumptions: the cli package replaced its homegrown UI layer in 3.0.0, and 3.2.0 replaced tidy-style formatting with Air while widening what counts as a project root.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is de-RStudio-ing. Project detection now recognizes a VS Code settings file, a Quarto config, or an renv lockfile; use_course() opens folders in Positron as readily as RStudio; Quarto is a first-class vignette and project format. usethis is being rebuilt around the editor and format plurality that has grown up around R, and the pre-3.0 RStudio-and-styler era is being deprecated out.
◆ Prediction
Expect Quarto and Positron support to keep filling in - create_quarto_project() is still flagged experimental - and further deprecation of the RStudio-specific and styler-era helpers.
Alternatives to rgm and usethis
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 rgm or usethis.
WPML
WPML made machine translation the default, and its point releases keep chasing WordPress and page builders.
forestploter
A forest plot package that keeps handing users control of one more graphical detail.
ggInterval
Interval-valued data plotting, spending 2026 making its function names and examples survive CRAN.
contagionchannels
Three releases in ten days, every one of them a CRAN reviewer's correction rather than a code change.
tidyaudit
Pipeline provenance for tidyverse workflows, recording what changed at each step without keeping the data.
Recent activity from rgm and usethis
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agorgmJournal DOI replaces the preprint; promotional wording removed
- 3mo agorgmBack on CRAN after dropping the dependency that caused archival
- 3mo agorgmUnreleased twin of the CRAN recovery release
- 11mo agousethiscreate_quarto_project() exits early without the Quarto CLI
- 11mo agousethisuse_air() adopts the Air formatter; project detection widens ⚡
- 1y agousethisuse_vignette() and use_article() support Quarto
- 2y agousethisUI moves to cli; Travis and AppVeyor helpers removed
- 2y agousethisCRAN-requested documentation fixes
- 2y agorgmFirst release: simulation, estimation and post-processing
- 3y agousethisVersion comparisons always pass character input
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rgm and usethis?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. rgm and usethis 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 rgm better than usethis?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. rgm and usethis 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to rgm?
Top rgm alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rgm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rgm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to usethis?
Top usethis alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "usethis alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/usethis for the full list with editorial commentary on each.