r2rtf
The clinical-report table engine learned Chinese, then learned to leave RTF entirely
Comparison · Analytics
graphicalMCP vs slider
A side-by-side editorial comparison of graphicalMCP and slider — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
graphicalMCP vs slider: at a glance
What is graphicalMCP?
graphicalMCP is a narrow statistical tool being hardened rather than grown.
graphicalMCP implements graphical multiple comparison procedures — the method used to control family-wise error across several endpoints in a clinical trial. The package moved under the openpharma organisation in 0.2.6, picked up Hochberg tests and internal validation in 0.2.8, and its most recent release fixes a case where graph testing by closure disagreed with the rejection-based path. Releases are roughly annual and short.
What is slider?
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
graphicalMCP vs slider: editorial side-by-side
graphicalMCP
0.0ANALYTICS
graphicalMCP is a narrow statistical tool being hardened rather than grown.
◆ Current state
graphicalMCP implements graphical multiple comparison procedures — the method used to control family-wise error across several endpoints in a clinical trial. The package moved under the openpharma organisation in 0.2.6, picked up Hochberg tests and internal validation in 0.2.8, and its most recent release fixes a case where graph testing by closure disagreed with the rejection-based path. Releases are roughly annual and short.
◆ Where it's heading
The changelog reads as a package settling into reference-implementation status: procedure coverage widened once, then the work turned to proving the two computational routes through the same graph agree with each other. That agreement is the whole promise of this kind of tool, since the closure-based calculation is the definition and the rejection-based one is the fast path everyone actually runs. The openpharma move points the same direction — shared maintenance rather than a single author's project.
◆ Prediction
The entries show no feature roadmap, only correctness and validation work, so the next release is most likely another consistency or precision fix rather than a new procedure.
slider
0.0ANALYTICS
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
◆ Current state
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
◆ Where it's heading
Two forces set the release schedule, and neither is feature demand. The first is CRAN closing off non-API C entry points, which packages reaching into R internals for speed have to unwind one accessor at a time — slider is on its second such release with no visible loss of function. The second is vctrs, whose breaking changes slider absorbs ahead of time; 0.2.2 exists solely to prepare for one. The last release that added anything callers can see was 0.3.0's slider_plus() and slider_minus() extension hooks.
◆ Prediction
Expect the pattern to continue: another non-API accessor removal or a vctrs compatibility release, rather than new window functions. The C-level surface is the only part of this package still moving.
Alternatives to graphicalMCP and slider
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 graphicalMCP or slider.
DoseFinding
New stewardship at openpharma, then two releases adding the methods MCP-Mod was missing
webmockr
The stubbing library added httr2 support, then spent a year cutting itself free of everything else
crul
crul took mocking back from webmockr and made it a property of the client itself
dendroNetwork
Six releases, six identical bodies — the feed carries the package abstract instead of release notes
chattr
chattr deleted every LLM integration it had written and outsourced the lot to ellmer
See all graphicalMCP alternatives → · See all slider alternatives →
Recent activity from graphicalMCP and slider
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agographicalMCPClosure-based and rejection-based graph tests now agree
- 9mo agosliderNon-API OBJECT() removed and a vctrs C signature fixed
- 1y agographicalMCPHochberg tests and internal validation added
- 1y agographicalMCPRepository moved to the openpharma organisation
- 1y agosliderNon-API STRING_PTR removed; R 4.0.0 now required
- 2y agographicalMCPCRAN resubmission housekeeping
- 2y agographicalMCPFirst release of the graphical MCP implementation
- 2y agosliderValgrind test fixes and dependency version bumps
- 3y agosliderExtension hooks let clock and almanac types serve as an index
- 5y agosliderInternal vec_order usage updated ahead of a vctrs break
- 5y agosliderlong double alignment issue fixed for CRAN sanitisers
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between graphicalMCP and slider?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. graphicalMCP and slider 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 graphicalMCP better than slider?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. graphicalMCP and slider 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 graphicalMCP?
Top graphicalMCP alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "graphicalMCP alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/graphicalmcp for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to slider?
Top slider alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "slider alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/slider for the full list with editorial commentary on each.