TAF
TAF keeps turning ICES stock assessments into reproducible, dependency-pinned projects.
Comparison · Analytics
rjwsacruncher vs SimInf
A side-by-side editorial comparison of rjwsacruncher and SimInf — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
rjwsacruncher vs SimInf: at a glance
What is rjwsacruncher?
A thin R wrapper around a Java seasonal-adjustment tool, slowly absorbing the setup work.
rjwsacruncher drives JDemetra+'s JWSACruncher from R, handling parameter files and batch runs of seasonal adjustment workspaces. Recent releases have shifted from wrapping the executable to managing its installation: 0.2.3 adds a downloader for JDemetra+ itself, a check that a given directory really contains the cruncher binary, and tolerance for users pointing at the executable instead of its bin directory.
What is SimInf?
SimInf 10.0 turns an epidemic simulator into a tool that fits models to real time series
SimInf simulates stochastic disease spread over networks of nodes, with a model parser that compiles user-specified transitions to C. Version 10.0.0 was a deliberate major break: the SimInf_pfilter S4 class and the bootstrap filtering interface were redesigned, a replicates slot was added to SimInf_model, a multi-particle variant of the split-step solver arrived, and the package gained Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting against observed time series. The follow-up 10.1.0 is a single zero-length memcpy fix found by CRAN's M1 checks.
rjwsacruncher vs SimInf: editorial side-by-side
rjwsacruncher
0.0ANALYTICS
A thin R wrapper around a Java seasonal-adjustment tool, slowly absorbing the setup work.
◆ Current state
rjwsacruncher drives JDemetra+'s JWSACruncher from R, handling parameter files and batch runs of seasonal adjustment workspaces. Recent releases have shifted from wrapping the executable to managing its installation: 0.2.3 adds a downloader for JDemetra+ itself, a check that a given directory really contains the cruncher binary, and tolerance for users pointing at the executable instead of its bin directory.
◆ Where it's heading
The work is defensive. Most of each release addresses a way users misconfigure paths or versions — clearer errors, a startup message naming which cruncher version the options select, and a standalone flag on the downloader. The package is absorbing the friction of a Java dependency it does not control.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued compatibility work as JDemetra+ 3.x diverges from 2.x, since the version split is already surfaced as a user-facing option rather than resolved internally.
SimInf
0.0ANALYTICS
SimInf 10.0 turns an epidemic simulator into a tool that fits models to real time series
◆ Current state
SimInf simulates stochastic disease spread over networks of nodes, with a model parser that compiles user-specified transitions to C. Version 10.0.0 was a deliberate major break: the SimInf_pfilter S4 class and the bootstrap filtering interface were redesigned, a replicates slot was added to SimInf_model, a multi-particle variant of the split-step solver arrived, and the package gained Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo fitting against observed time series. The follow-up 10.1.0 is a single zero-length memcpy fix found by CRAN's M1 checks.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has been moving from simulation toward inference for several releases. The 9.x line built the input side — utilities for cleaning raw individual event data, variables and enumeration constants in the model parser — and 10.0.0 closed the loop by making the simulator fittable to data through PMCMC. The version number was incremented precisely because that required breaking the particle filter interface.
◆ Prediction
Fitting machinery this new usually needs a second pass on usability, so the next releases most likely focus on diagnostics and documentation around PMCMC rather than on the simulation core, which has been stable across the whole 9.x and 10.x history.
Alternatives to rjwsacruncher and SimInf
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 rjwsacruncher or SimInf.
parallelDist
parallelDist is in pure preservation mode — one build fix every few years.
cairo
Cairo finally catches R's graphics engine, all the way to GE API 16.
rjdqa
rjdqa keeps refining one screen: the seasonal adjustment quality dashboard
epikit
epikit narrows to field-epidemiology helpers, handing proportions to a sibling package
mutagen
A young package porting Stata's egen row-wise helpers to the tidyverse, one function per release
See all rjwsacruncher alternatives → · See all SimInf alternatives →
Recent activity from rjwsacruncher and SimInf
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5mo agorjwsacruncherdownload_jdemetra() and bin-directory validation added
- 9mo agoSimInfAvoid memcpy on zero-length continuous state vector
- 9mo agoSimInfPMCMC fitting arrives; particle filter interface redesigned ⚡
- 1y agorjwsacruncherread_param_file() no longer forces full_series_name to FALSE
- 1y agorjwsacruncherRenaming controls and configurable parameter file names
- 2y agoSimInfDocumentation link anchors; parser dependency fix
- 2y agoSimInfModel parser gains variables and enumeration constants
- 2y agoSimInfindividual_events() added for raw event data cleaning
- 2y agorjwsacruncherParameter-file read/write functions added; cruncher 3.x support
- 3y agoSimInfConfigure script uses R to locate the compiler
- 7y agorjwsacruncherFirst CRAN release
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rjwsacruncher and SimInf?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. rjwsacruncher and SimInf 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 rjwsacruncher better than SimInf?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. rjwsacruncher and SimInf 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 rjwsacruncher?
Top rjwsacruncher alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rjwsacruncher alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rjwsacruncher for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to SimInf?
Top SimInf alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "SimInf alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/siminf-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.