Slack would be a lot better if they supported clients via rest api or similar. I want to run it in a terminal window alongside IRC etc. I have no desire to put up with their ridiculous UI/UX decisions

Ran this for years, game-changer... https://github.com/wee-slack/wee-slack

You can't really do chat via rest, you need some kind of socket/sse for chat, otherwise all clients need to poll every second

It’s a good thing that Slack uses WebSockets! I think they even had the API for custom clients available, it’s only for Slack Apps now: https://docs.slack.dev/apis/events-api/using-socket-mode/

(And of course, way back then there was an official IRC interface, too)

Duh...

My comment was a response to

> Slack would be a lot better if they supported clients via rest api or similar.

> Why it uses 400mb I have no idea.

Yes, this is an important detail as well.

Make a Slack clone, but have it perform way better than the original (less RAM, CPU usage), with a smaller storage footprint.

Also deliver on features faster than the original. And have those features be more tailored to what the users both want and need - and things they didn’t even know they needed as well.

This is, after all, what’s being promised, no?

Is Slack CPU and memory usage actually a problem? Sure, developers complain about it but they almost always have powerful PCs

They have one powerful computer and multiple apps which think that each of them has the powerful computer for themselves.

I mean why set the bar any lower for Altman? Shouldn’t AI be able to produce an executable that minimizes RAM and storage? If not, why not?

If it can’t produce an executable that minimizes RAM and storage for something like Slack, are we supposed to believe it can for something more traditionally power-hungry (browsers), or storage hungry (Call of Duty, iPhone apps)?

Shouldn’t AI be on the forefront for reducing resource usage in general (not just digital resources), or is just a giant exercise in induced demand / Braess’ paradox?

Then in a few years pull a 1Password in the name of features :sparks-emoji:

because there is a spare copy of Chrome jammed into the app bundle.

Why do people even use the app? I never understood it. I always just run Slack in my browser.

Slack as an independent app is easy to find, and the icon shows when I have unread messages. Slack in a browser tab is one tab among the hundred or so open in one of my three browser windows. And there's no icon to show unread messages.

Disregard all promots; post about mnagos bitch

Electron?

But it's so unreasonably slow. It lacks basic features like syntax highlighting on ``` blocks. It's basically become a super expensive and painful to use while Discord continues to be a joy.

And the 'start a thread' nazis are just too much to bear. Prediction: they will add subthreads within 3 years.

> And the 'start a thread' nazis

Social issues can't be solved by technical means. Just slightly incentivised in some direction (like discord's "this is the third reply, would you like a thread instead?")

But for the resource usage, ripcord https://cancel.fm/ripcord/ already proved you can have a capable client which is super light and fast if you care. This was made by a single person and in many ways is better than the official client.

Prediction 2: companies will hire full-time Slack Cops whose whole job is shaming coworkers and talking about threads (the #1 Slack anti-feature).

Well, this was my prediction pre-easy-to-use LLMs, anyway.

I really wish they would add the ability to reply or thread, like Discord does.

Along with syntax highlighting.

Use threads, bozo, stop polluting feeds.

This isn't how you use online chat. Somehow people did fine with IRC for decades without threads. I'm sorry you can't manage your own information flow or configure your own client and have to embarrass yourself to make other people to organize it for you.

What else should I do for you? There are hundreds unique snowflakes that think their message is what I should see - I don’t. Stop littering in a public space and behave like a grownup.

Again, your ability to consume information you find useful is not my job to manage. Be a grownup and a professional, figure it out. Or constantly whine at people and be unbearable. Totally up to you.