metR
A meteorology ggplot2 extension where the netCDF reader became the main event
Comparison · Infra & APIs
cocoon vs driveR
A side-by-side editorial comparison of cocoon and driveR — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
cocoon vs driveR: at a glance
What is cocoon?
A statistics-formatting helper in maintenance mode, tracking R-devel one fix at a time
cocoon formats statistical output for manuscripts, converting model and test objects into publication-ready strings. Its surface settled early: format_stats() is a generic that dispatches on object class, introduced in 0.1.0 to supersede the earlier format_corr() and format_ttest(), and extended in 0.2.0 to cover aov, lm, glm and the lme4 and lmerTest mixed-model families. The two releases since have been single-issue compatibility fixes against changes to wilcox.test() in R-devel.
What is driveR?
A cancer driver prioritization package that ships rarely and mostly to stay installable
driveR prioritizes cancer driver genes from somatic variant and copy number data, combining coding impact scores, noncoding impact, copy number alteration scores and hotspot annotations into a multi-task learning classification model. Version 0.5.0 added gene-level SCNA data frames as an accepted input to create_features_df(), with an example table shipped alongside, widening the entry point beyond the segment-level format. The same release moved org.Hs.eg.db and both hg19 and hg38 TxDb annotation packages from Imports to Suggests under new CRAN policy, with dependent functions now raising an error when they are absent rather than silently degrading.
cocoon vs driveR: editorial side-by-side
cocoon
0.0INFRA · APIS
A statistics-formatting helper in maintenance mode, tracking R-devel one fix at a time
◆ Current state
cocoon formats statistical output for manuscripts, converting model and test objects into publication-ready strings. Its surface settled early: format_stats() is a generic that dispatches on object class, introduced in 0.1.0 to supersede the earlier format_corr() and format_ttest(), and extended in 0.2.0 to cover aov, lm, glm and the lme4 and lmerTest mixed-model families. The two releases since have been single-issue compatibility fixes against changes to wilcox.test() in R-devel.
◆ Where it's heading
The package reached feature completeness for its stated job quickly and has been in maintenance since early 2025. Both 0.2.1 and 0.3.1 address the same upstream moving part - how wilcox.test() computes exact versus asymptotic distributions in development versions of R - which is the shape of a package whose own code is stable and whose risk lives entirely in what it wraps. Nothing in the recent entries points at new statistical object types.
◆ Prediction
Further releases are likely to stay reactive, triggered by R-devel or dependency changes rather than by new formatting methods, unless a specific model class is requested.
driveR
0.0INFRA · APIS
A cancer driver prioritization package that ships rarely and mostly to stay installable
◆ Current state
driveR prioritizes cancer driver genes from somatic variant and copy number data, combining coding impact scores, noncoding impact, copy number alteration scores and hotspot annotations into a multi-task learning classification model. Version 0.5.0 added gene-level SCNA data frames as an accepted input to create_features_df(), with an example table shipped alongside, widening the entry point beyond the segment-level format. The same release moved org.Hs.eg.db and both hg19 and hg38 TxDb annotation packages from Imports to Suggests under new CRAN policy, with dependent functions now raising an error when they are absent rather than silently degrading.
◆ Where it's heading
Releases are infrequent and split cleanly between capability and correction. GRCh38 support arrived in 0.4.0 and cancer-type-specific thresholds were refreshed in 0.3.0, while the 0.2.x pair fixed scoring errors serious enough to require retraining: a column name mismatch meant the SCNA score was not being computed at all, and MCR table coordinates needed converting from hg18 to hg19. Both times the bundled classification model and thresholds were rebuilt as a consequence. Since 0.4.0 the changes have been input handling and packaging rather than method.
◆ Prediction
The move of the annotation databases to Suggests suggests a leaner install is the current priority; the entries give no indication of planned model or scoring changes.
Alternatives to cocoon and driveR
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 cocoon or driveR.
IsoriX
An isotope geolocation package still recovering from the r-spatial retirement
fdacluster
Functional data clustering grew from one algorithm into a comparable suite
profoc
A forecast combination package that spun its profiler out into its own project
adjustedCurves
A survival curve package spending release after release correcting its own estimates
mize
A numerical optimization toolkit that has been feature-complete and quiet since 2017
See all cocoon alternatives → · See all driveR alternatives →
Recent activity from cocoon and driveR
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agococoonTest fix for wilcox.test changes in R-devel
- 7mo agodriveRGene-level copy number input accepted, annotation packages made optional
- 11mo agococoonSuppress an R-devel warning in htest testing
- 1y agococoonformat_stats gains regression and mixed-model methods
- 1y agococoonformat_stats generic supersedes the per-test formatters
- 1y agococoonPre-release tag of the 0.1.0 contents
- 3y agodriveRCRAN documentation error fixed
- 4y agodriveRGRCh38 genome build supported
- 4y agodriveRCancer-type-specific thresholds updated
- 5y agodriveRMCR coordinates converted to hg19 and the model retrained
- 5y agodriveRCopy number score was never being computed, model rebuilt
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cocoon and driveR?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. cocoon and driveR 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 cocoon better than driveR?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. cocoon and driveR 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 cocoon?
Top cocoon alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cocoon alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cocoon for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to driveR?
Top driveR alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "driveR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/driver for the full list with editorial commentary on each.