Not content material to merely be an app that excels at messaging, Slack has revealed it’s coming for Google’s workplace instruments crown with its new Canvas characteristic, first introduced in September 2022.

The concept is that, as a result of any messaging app within the office is a fast-moving, largely irrelevant cacophony, canvases (basically particular person paperwork, suppose Google Docs) will enable for storing and shortly referring to data.

Per The Verge (opens in new tab), the Canvas rollout has now begun, though our fast inner staff survey discovered not all Slack customers have obtained it simply but, so some customers may have to attend that little bit longer.

Productiveness instruments, and “the the whole lot app”

Not that it actually issues: in case your office makes use of Slack, it’s in all probability as a result of it’s notable as an excellent messaging app that, for a time, supplied options Google Chat simply didn’t, like threaded conversations, @ mentions, or (admittedly a much less earth-shattering improvement) emoji reactions.

It’s extra of an equal enjoying area now, but when your office began utilizing Slack as a result of it excels in messaging greater than every other space, it in all probability additionally makes use of one other productiveness device higher designed for producing, organizing and sharing paperwork, like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

What’s more odd is that Slack does enable for integration with the third celebration purposes, resembling Google Drive, that you simply already use at work. Did we want this? Truthfully? Are software program firms so devoid of concepts that they simply must do the whole lot now?

Even Ali Rayl, Slack’s Product SVP, says “Google Docs 100 p.c nonetheless has a spot in our universe.” It’s handy, possibly, to have basically an an identical, if much less good model of it straight in Slack, however good luck getting your colleagues to undertake one or the opposite. Put together for chaos. Civil conflict.

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