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Or a full-fledged API so that anyone can write a Slack client.

Currently, anyone who wants to write a 3rd-party client has to use the IRC bridge. That doesn't have the same capabilities as Slack's client.

What about the Real Time API?

I've been successfully using the WeeChat Slack plugin which leverages the native Slack over Websocket vs. an IRC bridge.

https://github.com/wee-slack/wee-slack

Wait you mean you don't like the desktop web view that uses 12 gigs of RAM?

Why bother? Just leave Slack open in a browser tab. Job done.

yes, I would give up Highlights, Threads, Calls and most slack features for a native client.

Honestly I'd rather have a native ncurses app.

Check out Wee-Slack[1], it's as close as you're likely to get for now.

Note this does not use the IRC gateway, but it plugs the slack API into WeeChat, and supports most slack functionality not found with the IRC gateway.

[1]https://github.com/wee-slack/wee-slack/blob/master/README.md

Then they'd have to hire developers that dare to venture outside the garden of JavaScript.

Skype?