pr2database
The protist reference database keeps widening past the rRNA gene it was built on.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
formr vs JointFPM
A side-by-side editorial comparison of formr and JointFPM — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
formr vs JointFPM: at a glance
What is formr?
formr's R client reached CRAN and moved its recommended path to the v1 REST API.
formr is the R-side client for formr.org, the open study framework used to run longitudinal and experience-sampling questionnaires. In May it reached CRAN for the first time, released in step with formr.org server v1.0.0, and the formr_api_* family built on the server's RESTful surface became the supported entry point. The three releases since have been repair work on the paths that move rendered output and API results.
What is JointFPM?
Recurrent-event modelling settles, with mean_no() promoted to stable.
JointFPM fits joint flexible parametric models for a recurrent event process alongside a competing terminal event, and predicts the mean number of events. The visible history runs from bug fixes on the earliest CRAN releases through standardization, integration options and a summary method, ending with mean_no() declared stable. Several changes arrived through outside pull requests.
formr vs JointFPM: editorial side-by-side
formr
0.0INFRA · APIS
formr's R client reached CRAN and moved its recommended path to the v1 REST API.
◆ Current state
formr is the R-side client for formr.org, the open study framework used to run longitudinal and experience-sampling questionnaires. In May it reached CRAN for the first time, released in step with formr.org server v1.0.0, and the formr_api_* family built on the server's RESTful surface became the supported entry point. The three releases since have been repair work on the paths that move rendered output and API results.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is consolidation around the v1 API while the legacy Classic path is left running but demoted in the vignette. The complication is that CRAN's requirements and the OpenCPU server's requirements pull against each other: CRAN review pushed rendering into tempdir() with random filenames, which broke rforms.org because the server fetches a fixed knit.html, and 1.1.2 had to put it back. The 1.2.0 note describes the same write-directory problem being solved in an OpenCPU-aware way rather than reverted, alongside making dependencies installable under WASM.
◆ Prediction
Two of the last three releases were regressions in the render path, so the OpenCPU-aware write directory in 1.2.0 is the change most likely to need follow-up. The Classic formr_results() path remains in the package with no removal date announced, and nothing in these entries indicates when that ends.
JointFPM
0.0INFRA · APIS
Recurrent-event modelling settles, with mean_no() promoted to stable.
◆ Current state
JointFPM fits joint flexible parametric models for a recurrent event process alongside a competing terminal event, and predicts the mean number of events. The visible history runs from bug fixes on the earliest CRAN releases through standardization, integration options and a summary method, ending with mean_no() declared stable. Several changes arrived through outside pull requests.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from a working estimator toward a usable one: input validation and error messages first, then control over the numerical integration, then a summary method and pass-through arguments to the underlying rstpm2 fit. The latest release adds no code so much as a stability commitment to a function users were already calling.
◆ Prediction
With mean_no() stable, the next work most likely targets the prediction and standardization paths rather than the model fit itself.
Alternatives to formr and JointFPM
Other Infra & APIs 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 formr or JointFPM.
ggalign
Composable aligned layouts, rebuilt on S7 while ggplot2 4.0 lands underneath.
prioritizr
Conservation planning absorbs the literature's target-setting rules as code.
jSDM
Joint species distribution models in Gibbs-sampled C++, quiet since 2023.
rsofun
An ecosystem model starts tracking carbon isotopes and land-use change.
usmap
Ten years in, US mapping splits its data out and finally adds Puerto Rico.
See all formr alternatives → · See all JointFPM alternatives →
Recent activity from formr and JointFPM
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoformrOpenCPU-aware render directory and WASM-installable dependencies
- 2mo agoformrHotfix: rendered output returns to knit.html
- 2mo agoformrcalculate items no longer coerced to NA by as.numeric()
- 2mo agoformrv1.0.0 — first CRAN release ⚡
- 1y agoJointFPMmean_no() promoted to a stable interface
- 2y agoJointFPMsummary() method and control arguments passed to rstpm2
- 2y agoJointFPMGaussian quadrature option for the mean-events integration
- 2y agoJointFPMStandardized marginal estimates plus input validation
- 2y agoJointFPMBug fixes for differences between mean-event functions
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between formr and JointFPM?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. formr and JointFPM 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 formr better than JointFPM?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. formr and JointFPM 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to formr?
Top formr alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "formr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/formr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to JointFPM?
Top JointFPM alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "JointFPM alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/jointfpm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.