← Back to home
Comparison · Analytics

silx vs simmer.plot

A side-by-side editorial comparison of silx and simmer.plot — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

silx vs simmer.plot: at a glance

Featuresilxsimmer.plot
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score5.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesscientific-computing, data-visualization, synchrotron, qtdiscrete-event-simulation, simmer, ggplot2, visualisation
Last editorial update2h ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is silx?

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

Read the full silx trajectory →

What is simmer.plot?

The plotting companion to simmer, shipping only when the simulator or a graphics dependency moves.

simmer.plot renders discrete-event simulation output — S3 plot() methods over get_mon_arrivals(), get_mon_attributes() and get_mon_resources(), plus trajectory diagrams drawn through DiagrammeR. Since 0.1.12 the methods attach to the monitoring data itself rather than the simulation environment, and 0.1.18 finished that migration by deleting the deprecated environment-level methods.

Read the full simmer.plot trajectory →

silx vs simmer.plot: editorial side-by-side

S
silx
ANALYTICS
5.0

silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration

◆ Current state

silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.

◆ Where it's heading

The cadence has slowed markedly since April, and the content has shifted from structural change to plotting and colormap refinement. That is the expected shape after a binding migration: downstream beamline code needs a stable target, so the project trades feature velocity for a quiet surface. The gap between 3.0.1 in May and 3.1.0 in August is the clearest signal of the deliberate slowdown.

◆ Prediction

Expect further point releases servicing the plotting and fitting widgets rather than another structural change, with feature work continuing to arrive in the 3.1.x minors rather than patches.

S
simmer.plot
ANALYTICS
0.0

The plotting companion to simmer, shipping only when the simulator or a graphics dependency moves.

◆ Current state

simmer.plot renders discrete-event simulation output — S3 plot() methods over get_mon_arrivals(), get_mon_attributes() and get_mon_resources(), plus trajectory diagrams drawn through DiagrammeR. Since 0.1.12 the methods attach to the monitoring data itself rather than the simulation environment, and 0.1.18 finished that migration by deleting the deprecated environment-level methods.

◆ Where it's heading

This package moves when something it depends on moves. Its history is a sequence of parser fixes for new simmer trajectory formats, DiagrammeR and tidyr and dplyr version bumps, and ggplot2 workarounds. The one clear internal decision — plotting monitor output instead of the environment — was made in 2017 and completed six years later. The 2025 release fixes documentation cross-references and nothing else.

◆ Prediction

The next release most likely follows a simmer trajectory-format change or a CRAN documentation policy, matching every recent entry. There is no visible feature work in the pipeline.

Alternatives to silx and simmer.plot

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 silx or simmer.plot.

See all silx alternatives → · See all simmer.plot alternatives →

Recent activity from silx and simmer.plot

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 5h agosilxFitWidget fix for loading a fit function from file
  2. 9d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
  3. 3mo agosilx3.0.1: silx view fails to disable HDF5 file locking
  4. 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required
  5. 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
  6. 1y agosimmer.plotDocumentation cross-reference fixes
  7. 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
  8. 3y agosimmer.plotActivity tags and named rollbacks; deprecated plot methods removed
  9. 4y agosimmer.plotZero-capacity utilization fixed; usage limits exposed
  10. 6y agosimmer.plotRollback pointer fix and upstream bug workarounds
  11. 8y agosimmer.plotResource plot factors keep the supplied order
  12. 8y agosimmer.plotUpdate for DiagrammeR 1.0.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between silx and simmer.plot?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is silx better than simmer.plot?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to silx?

Top silx alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "silx alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/silx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to simmer.plot?

Top simmer.plot alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "simmer.plot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/simmer-plot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.