tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
forcis vs simtrial
A side-by-side editorial comparison of forcis and simtrial — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
forcis vs simtrial: at a glance
What is forcis?
A foraminifera data-access package whose entire release history is the rOpenSci review process.
forcis provides R access to the FORCIS database of planktonic foraminifera occurrences. All three releases in the window are review milestones rather than feature work: first stable release, the release answering rOpenSci reviewer comments, and a post-CRAN-review polish. Release notes point at NEWS.md rather than enumerating changes.
What is simtrial?
A fixed-design trial simulator grew a pluggable test framework, then spent a year proving the numbers
simtrial simulates time-to-event clinical trials and applies the tests used to analyse them — logrank, weighted logrank, MaxCombo, RMST, milestone. The 0.4.0 release turned it from a fixed-sample simulator into a group sequential one and standardised every test behind a common output contract, and the releases since have been about making that machinery correct and fast enough to run at scale. Version 1.0.0 arrived in June 2025 with the API settled and three vignettes explaining both the one-call and build-it-yourself paths.
forcis vs simtrial: editorial side-by-side
forcis
0.0ANALYTICS
A foraminifera data-access package whose entire release history is the rOpenSci review process.
◆ Current state
forcis provides R access to the FORCIS database of planktonic foraminifera occurrences. All three releases in the window are review milestones rather than feature work: first stable release, the release answering rOpenSci reviewer comments, and a post-CRAN-review polish. Release notes point at NEWS.md rather than enumerating changes.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is moving from research artifact to reviewed, distributable infrastructure — submitted to rOpenSci at 0.1.0, integrated review feedback at 1.0.0, cleared CRAN at 1.0.1. That arc is complete, so the next phase should be the first release driven by users rather than reviewers.
◆ Prediction
With review and CRAN acceptance both behind it, the next release is most likely to track upstream FORCIS database changes or add query conveniences; the entries themselves say nothing about planned features.
simtrial
0.0ANALYTICS
A fixed-design trial simulator grew a pluggable test framework, then spent a year proving the numbers
◆ Current state
simtrial simulates time-to-event clinical trials and applies the tests used to analyse them — logrank, weighted logrank, MaxCombo, RMST, milestone. The 0.4.0 release turned it from a fixed-sample simulator into a group sequential one and standardised every test behind a common output contract, and the releases since have been about making that machinery correct and fast enough to run at scale. Version 1.0.0 arrived in June 2025 with the API settled and three vignettes explaining both the one-call and build-it-yourself paths.
◆ Where it's heading
Post-1.0 the work is almost entirely statistical correctness and speed, and it is concentrated in sim_gs_n(): one-sided efficacy bounds, stratified targeted-event cut dates, a helper that derives cuttings straight from the design object. Performance moves in one direction throughout — dplyr replaced by data.table, foreach combination replaced by manual assembly, parallelisation added to sim_fixed_n() — because simulation-based operating characteristics are only useful if you can afford enough replications.
◆ Prediction
The recent fixes cluster on stratified and group sequential paths, so the next release most likely continues there rather than adding a new test type. The cut_from_design() helper suggests tighter coupling to gsDesign2 design objects is the direction of travel.
Alternatives to forcis and simtrial
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 forcis or simtrial.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
hoardr
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
riem
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
See all forcis alternatives → · See all simtrial alternatives →
Recent activity from forcis and simtrial
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agosimtrialOne-sided efficacy bound and stratified cut date corrected
- 11mo agosimtrialsim_gs_n moved to data.table; stratified design example added
- 1y agosimtrial1.0.0 settles the wlr interface and documents both simulation paths
- 1y agoforcisPost-CRAN-review example and practice cleanup
- 1y agoforcis1.0.0 incorporates rOpenSci review feedback
- 1y agosimtrialMilestone Z-score denominator corrected; parallel sim_fixed_n arrives
- 1y agoforcisFirst stable release, submitted to rOpenSci
- 2y agosimtrialChecks pass without Suggests dependencies
- 2y agosimtrialRMST and milestone tests, plus a user-definable cut and test framework ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between forcis and simtrial?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. forcis and simtrial 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 forcis better than simtrial?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. forcis and simtrial 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 Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to forcis?
Top forcis alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "forcis alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/forcis for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to simtrial?
Top simtrial alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "simtrial alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/simtrial for the full list with editorial commentary on each.