Facebook@Desktop, as the name implies, provides a way for users to check their Facebook profile page from their desktop.
Remember Geocities?
Facebook@Desktop is divided into three different tabs: Info, Facebook, and Browser. The Info tab displays your location (country, city, latitude/longitude) and the weather for your local area. Unfortunately, the Facebook@Desktop did not correctly identify my location and placed me in a place at the opposite end of the country.
The Facebook tab displays hyperlinks to shares, messages, pokes, friend requests, and notifications. It’s important to note that these are hyperlinks and clicking on any one of them will be opened in the Browser tab. You can also post a status (mislabeled as a “Message”) in the Facebook tab. In all honesty, I can’t think of a reason you would use the Facebook tab instead of the Browser tab.
The Browser tab is the part of Facebook@Desktop that actually displays Facebook properly as if you were viewing it in a program such as Firefox or Chrome. Unfortunately, you’ll spend a long time waiting with every click. Facebook@Desktop displays a blank screen with a pinwheel while it’s loading Facebook.
The overall design of Facebook@Desktop feels incredibly dated. It seems to have been designed with an earlier incarnation of Facebook in mind, especially with references to the “Wall” and “Pokes”. The strange design of the Facebook tab seems to confirm this, as it resembles a nearly-blank webpage that hasn’t loaded properly.
Be prepared to wait
As mentioned above, since Facebook@Desktop is essentially a slow browser, be prepared to wait as it labouriously renders pages. There’s no real point in using the info tab as there are plenty of better options for checking the weather and your location. The Facebook tab is equally as useless because every option ultimately draws you to the slow-loading browser.
The Browser tab is as simple as using a regular web browser, although you can’t visit any other sites - only Facebook.
I also ran into problems during the installation process. The program stopped working shortly after I had installed it. Then, despite receiving confirmation I had successfully uninstalled the program, it was still taking up space on my computer and preventing me from reinstalling it. To make a long story short, I had to manually end the processes that were running and delete the program file before reinstalling.
Just stick with the web or mobile version
I can’t think of an advantage to using Facebook@Desktop over simply viewing it in a browser like Firefox or Chrome. The program is just a (slow) browser that makes viewing Facebook difficult and cumbersome.
The serious difficulties in uninstalling the program add to the frustration when dealing with the program. You don’t actually log into Facebook through the program, but rather Olcinium, which requests access to your personal data. Please remember when using any third-party, whether for Twitter, Snapchat, or in this case, Facebook, to check the privacy policy and/or terms of service.
Download Facebook@Desktop 1.1.4 in Softonic