qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
fossilsim vs parallelDist
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fossilsim and parallelDist — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
fossilsim vs parallelDist: 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 parallelDist?
parallelDist is in pure preservation mode — one build fix every few years.
parallelDist computes distance matrices across threads in C++ via RcppParallel and Armadillo. The feature set has been settled since 0.2.3 in 2018, which added hamming distance and cosine similarity; everything after that is compatibility work. The most recent release, 0.2.7, exists only to drop a C++11 pin that newer Armadillo versions no longer tolerate.
fossilsim vs parallelDist: 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.
parallelDist
0.0ANALYTICS
parallelDist is in pure preservation mode — one build fix every few years.
◆ Current state
parallelDist computes distance matrices across threads in C++ via RcppParallel and Armadillo. The feature set has been settled since 0.2.3 in 2018, which added hamming distance and cosine similarity; everything after that is compatibility work. The most recent release, 0.2.7, exists only to drop a C++11 pin that newer Armadillo versions no longer tolerate.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being kept installable, not developed. The three most recent releases are a toolchain pin removal, a DESCRIPTION field removal, and a coercion change inherited from proxy — none originate from user-facing intent. Gaps of three to four years between releases are the norm now, and each one is triggered by something upstream breaking rather than by a roadmap.
◆ Prediction
The next release will almost certainly be another compatibility fix timed to whatever Armadillo, Rcpp or CRAN check policy changes next. Nothing in the entries points to new distance measures or API work.
Alternatives to fossilsim and parallelDist
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 parallelDist.
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 parallelDist alternatives →
Recent activity from fossilsim and parallelDist
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 10mo agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.7 drops the C++11 pin for newer Armadillo
- 2y agofossilsimCompatibility bump for FossilSimShiny 1.1.2
- 4y agofossilsimBug fixes and documentation cleanup
- 4y agofossilsimTrait simulation arrives: Mk, BM and OU models ⚡
- 4y agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.6: LazyData removed, vignette font swapped
- 4y agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.5 changes cosine distance to 1-x
- 5y agofossilsimOccurrence handling for the occurrence birth-death model
- 7y agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.4 fixes the Solaris build
- 7y agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.3 adds hamming and cosine measures
- 7y agoparallelDistparallelDist 0.2.2
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fossilsim and parallelDist?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. fossilsim and parallelDist 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 parallelDist?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fossilsim and parallelDist 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 parallelDist?
Top parallelDist alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "parallelDist alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/paralleldist for the full list with editorial commentary on each.