Download assistant - just why? (and it doesn't work)

I remember the good old days of the internet when demo software was available via a hyperlink to a file on a server, heck some people even still use that old antiquated system.

Not modern, forward thinking Steinberg. They have a special application to do all that for me. Just go to the website as normal, generate a special key, got to your e-mail, save the key, download the assistant, find it doesn’t work on your operating system and bye bye demo, bye bye sale.

Why prey tell do files need to be transferred via a standalone application? Why is my money being spent on pointless stuff like this?

I know it has become fashionable to do this, I now have a series of these pointless show boating applications taking up room on my hard drive.

Less is more, keep it simple stupid, are these ideas a thing of the past. Bloatware sucks. Please stop over engineering things. If you have excess money washing around make the product cheaper.