Microsoft Bot Framework gets support for Slack via Howdy's Botkit

Botmaker Howdy has integrated their Botkit toolset with the Microsoft Bot Framework, which means Bot Framework users, who number around 45,000, will now be able to make bots for the Slack bot environment.

Botkit users in turn will be able to bring their bots to platforms, like Telegram, Kik, Twilio, and Skype.

Hody’s Botkit is Slack’s de facto way to make a bot, and should help lead the charge for productive bots developed using the Microsoft Bot Framework, with Microsoft principal software engineer Steve Ickman promising their arrival soon.

“We have a number of enterprise bots created by Microsoft in development,” Ickman said. “Look for more to come over the next few months.”

“Howdy and the folks at Microsoft are very open to and very interested in a level playing field, but also a better developer experience,” Howdy CEO Ben Brown said. “The better the tools, and the more cross-platform and cross-framework the tools can be, the easier it’s going to be for people to actually be successful building bots.”

“We think that the ecosystem around and between these messaging platforms is super fertile ground for developers and entrepreneurs,” he noted.

Read more about the development at Venturebeat here.