I think the reason they might appear rare is because the number of desktop apps that depend on a remote server for functionality are less common.
For example, a photo editing suite, word processor, or code editor all have the expectation that they be usable entirely offline, and any additional cloud-based features are coded to fail gracefully.
As you point out, apps like Slack and Discord don't fall into this camp. Not only is their core functionality expected to be online, they are also Electron apps (basically, embedded Chrome browser) that likely have a thin layer of client logic, and load most resources remotely, just like accessing a web page.
Sure, word processors and code editors exist on mobile, and many of them likely work just like their desktop counter parts when offline [1]. But that's not what most mobile apps are. Most mobile apps would be useless without a remote server, and if that remote server needs to make a breaking API change, then you need a way to communicate that.
[1] I assume. It's been a while since I've used mobile MS Word. Even then, I suspect these apps will prompt the user to update or else lose cloud service at some point, even if they otherwise continue to work fine locally.
For example, a photo editing suite, word processor, or code editor all have the expectation that they be usable entirely offline, and any additional cloud-based features are coded to fail gracefully.
As you point out, apps like Slack and Discord don't fall into this camp. Not only is their core functionality expected to be online, they are also Electron apps (basically, embedded Chrome browser) that likely have a thin layer of client logic, and load most resources remotely, just like accessing a web page.
Sure, word processors and code editors exist on mobile, and many of them likely work just like their desktop counter parts when offline [1]. But that's not what most mobile apps are. Most mobile apps would be useless without a remote server, and if that remote server needs to make a breaking API change, then you need a way to communicate that.
[1] I assume. It's been a while since I've used mobile MS Word. Even then, I suspect these apps will prompt the user to update or else lose cloud service at some point, even if they otherwise continue to work fine locally.