qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
fossilsim vs n2khab
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fossilsim and n2khab — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
fossilsim vs n2khab: at a glance
What is fossilsim?
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
FossilSim is a mature R package for simulating fossil records on phylogenetic trees, and its release cadence reflects that: long gaps punctuated by a single capability addition. The last four releases span three years, with the most recent being a compatibility sync to its companion Shiny front-end rather than new functionality. The core simulation surface has been stable since 2022.
What is n2khab?
n2khab keeps retracting interpretations of habitat data it can't actually support
n2khab reads and prepares the standardised Flemish Natura 2000 habitat data sources — habitat maps, water surfaces, GRTS master grids — for reproducible analysis. Releases track the publication of new versioned data sources on Zenodo, but the more consequential ones change how the package interprets what it reads. The latest removes an argument outright after the reasoning behind it was found to be wrong.
fossilsim vs n2khab: editorial side-by-side
fossilsim
0.0ANALYTICS
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
◆ Current state
FossilSim is a mature R package for simulating fossil records on phylogenetic trees, and its release cadence reflects that: long gaps punctuated by a single capability addition. The last four releases span three years, with the most recent being a compatibility sync to its companion Shiny front-end rather than new functionality. The core simulation surface has been stable since 2022.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from sampling mechanics toward simulating what the organisms actually were. Version 2.2.0 taught the package to handle occurrence data for occurrence birth-death models; 2.3.0 then added trait simulation under Mk, BM and OU, which is a different kind of output than fossil ages. Since then the work has been maintenance and keeping the FossilSimShiny GUI in step, suggesting the authors consider the current model set feature-complete.
◆ Prediction
The pairing of the 2.3.3 release with a FossilSimShiny version bump points to the GUI, not the library, as where the next visible work lands. The entries do not show enough activity to predict a specific new model family.
n2khab
0.0ANALYTICS
n2khab keeps retracting interpretations of habitat data it can't actually support
◆ Current state
n2khab reads and prepares the standardised Flemish Natura 2000 habitat data sources — habitat maps, water surfaces, GRTS master grids — for reproducible analysis. Releases track the publication of new versioned data sources on Zenodo, but the more consequential ones change how the package interprets what it reads. The latest removes an argument outright after the reasoning behind it was found to be wrong.
◆ Where it's heading
Two forces shape the package. The first is external: each new habitatmap or watersurfaces vintage needs a supported reader, and the package has absorbed a steady stream of them. The second is a willingness to break its own API when the ecology does not support what the code claimed — the interpreted argument removed because type 3130 occurrences cannot be resolved to a single subtype, the rbbvos+ type dropped as too loosely defined, the collapse default changed to match how users actually need the output shaped. Return structures are also being normalised so element names no longer vary with data source version.
◆ Prediction
The package has said it expects future watersurfaces_hab versions to implement collapsing in the data source itself, so the corresponding argument is a candidate for removal once that lands — the same path the interpreted argument took.
Alternatives to fossilsim and n2khab
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 fossilsim or n2khab.
constants
The R package for CODATA constants rebuilt its symbol table on NIST's naming so future updates stop being hand work.
austraits
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
tern.mmrm
An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.
See all fossilsim alternatives → · See all n2khab alternatives →
Recent activity from fossilsim and n2khab
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agon2khabn2khab 0.15.1
- 1mo agon2khabn2khab drops an argument built on a wrong ecological assumption
- 5mo agon2khabn2khab adds a reader for the watersurfaces reference points source
- 7mo agon2khabn2khab collapses watersurfaces output to unique polygon-type pairs
- 1y agon2khabSupport for watersurfaces 2024 and watersurfaces_hab v6
- 1y agon2khabn2khab supports the 2023 habitat maps and drops the rbbvos+ type
- 2y agofossilsimCompatibility bump for FossilSimShiny 1.1.2
- 4y agofossilsimBug fixes and documentation cleanup
- 4y agofossilsimTrait simulation arrives: Mk, BM and OU models ⚡
- 5y agofossilsimOccurrence handling for the occurrence birth-death model
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fossilsim and n2khab?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. fossilsim and n2khab 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 fossilsim better than n2khab?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fossilsim and n2khab 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 fossilsim?
Top fossilsim alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fossilsim alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fossilsim-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to n2khab?
Top n2khab alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "n2khab alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/n2khab for the full list with editorial commentary on each.