tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
hoardr vs sass
A side-by-side editorial comparison of hoardr and sass — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-packagemaintenance
hoardr vs sass: at a glance
What is hoardr?
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
hoardr manages local cache directories for other R packages — where files go, how they are keyed, whether they exist. It underpins caching in several rOpenSci data clients. The last functional additions were in 2018; everything since is a patch issued because CRAN reported a test failure or the maintainer changed.
What is sass?
Nine releases of compiler warnings and CRAN checks — the Sass binding is in pure upkeep.
sass compiles Sass to CSS for R, and its recent history is almost entirely about staying installable. The last ten releases are dominated by compilation warnings on new toolchains — Apple Clang 15, gcc-12, Windows — plus R CMD check fixes for r-devel and one LibSass version bump. The only user-visible changes in the set are the switch to woff2 font files in font_google(local = TRUE) and clearer output when Google fonts are downloaded.
hoardr vs sass: editorial side-by-side
hoardr
0.0ANALYTICS
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
◆ Current state
hoardr manages local cache directories for other R packages — where files go, how they are keyed, whether they exist. It underpins caching in several rOpenSci data clients. The last functional additions were in 2018; everything since is a patch issued because CRAN reported a test failure or the maintainer changed.
◆ Where it's heading
This is infrastructure that has reached its final shape. Three of the last three releases were reactive: two responses to CRAN test-failure notifications, one to a maintainer handover. The single behavioural change in that stretch — forward slashes in paths on every operating system — is a consistency fix for downstream packages rather than a feature. Its release cadence is set by CRAN's checks, not by demand.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to be triggered by another CRAN check failure rather than by new functionality, matching every release since 2018.
sass
0.0ANALYTICS
Nine releases of compiler warnings and CRAN checks — the Sass binding is in pure upkeep.
◆ Current state
sass compiles Sass to CSS for R, and its recent history is almost entirely about staying installable. The last ten releases are dominated by compilation warnings on new toolchains — Apple Clang 15, gcc-12, Windows — plus R CMD check fixes for r-devel and one LibSass version bump. The only user-visible changes in the set are the switch to woff2 font files in font_google(local = TRUE) and clearer output when Google fonts are downloaded.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a stable binding to a C++ library that is itself no longer moving, so the package's work is defined by the compilers and CRAN policies around it rather than by Sass features. Nothing in these entries suggests active development; the maintenance is competent and prompt, but it is maintenance.
◆ Prediction
The next release will most likely be triggered by a new compiler warning class or an R CMD check requirement rather than by anything in the Sass language. The entries give no signal of planned feature work.
Alternatives to hoardr and sass
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 hoardr or sass.
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.
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.
datasetjson
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
Recent activity from hoardr and sass
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agosassPrivate finalize() on FileCache; clearer font download output
- 1y agohoardrPaths use forward slashes on every platform
- 2y agosassLocal Google fonts now downloaded as woff2
- 2y agohoardrTest-only patch for a CRAN failure
- 2y agosassFixes an R CMD check warning for r-devel
- 3y agosassSilences an Apple Clang 15 compilation warning
- 3y agosassRemoves a gcc-12 compilation warning on Windows
- 3y agohoardrPatch release for maintainer handover
- 3y agosassBumps the bundled LibSass to 3.6.5
- 7y agohoardrFixes cache paths leaking between HoardClient instances
- 7y agohoardrFile-existence checks and full-path cache configuration
- 9y agohoardrCRAN disk-writing policy compliance
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hoardr and sass?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package, maintenance — within Analytics. hoardr and sass 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 hoardr better than sass?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. hoardr and sass 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 hoardr?
Top hoardr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "hoardr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hoardr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to sass?
Top sass alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "sass alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/sass for the full list with editorial commentary on each.