New version of Slack consumes less RAM and is faster

Slack has released a new version of its desktop app that is one-third faster than its predecessor, according to the makers. The underlying code has been rewritten so that the app also requires much less working memory.

The new desktop version for Windows and macOS should load 33 percent faster than the previous version, according to the company. The makers also say that the business chat app needs half as little RAM. The exact figures differ per configuration and the age of the device on which the software is located.

Slack now also works differently when the user is offline. Sessions are cached better so that users can access conversations or channels even if they have a bad connection. Also, Slack is now more focused on using multiple workspaces. The underlying code has been modified so that new copies are not made every time a user creates a new workspace. Instead, Slack uses the existing components from other workspaces so that the app requires much less memory.

Slack still works on Electron under the hood, but many parts have been changed on the front by React. The new version of the app will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks, but users who already want to get started with version 4.0 can also download it manually from the site.