The answer is of course not to install pointless programs (because most crapware on download.com is in fact the original program itself, granted though that they bundle additional crapware with the original crapware)
and for the programs you actually want (rather than the pretty, shiny, awesomely-titled programs with the shiny names and stuff) you should download them from the original website.
And see if the program you want is available in the
https://ninite.com installer