Twitter popularized the desktop client for social networking with third-party software such as TweetDeck. With the introduction, recently, of Google+ and Google’s release of a mobile app, but lack of a desktop version, I had wondered if third-parties would jump in to fill the void. I had planned to install, test, and write a review of a new Google+ desktop client called Gclient today. It is the first one that I have seen. However, along the way, I did some research before installing it.
The first clue was the convoluted installation instructions that I found. There are none on maker Abelssoft’s website, but a third-party site gave a walk-through that involved such red-flags as “You want to fill out your e-mail address and full name, then click “Get free unlock code now.””
With that, I decided to check Cnet reviews and found that the app rated only 2 stars, with reviews such as “This is exactly what you don’t need!!”, “Don’t use this!!!”, and “Disaster”. Not exactly what you want to hear about a software app that you thought would be useful.
Thankfully, I hadn’t installed it, and it sounds like nobody else should either. It’s a lesson on why proper research is always in order before downloading and installing ANYTHING from the web.