Nothing is useless or rubbish per say. Everything has a use in one way or another. But how you use your time effectively is more important, in meaning that if you could be spending your time learning more efficiently in other ways rather than using somthing like Rosetta Stone.

I have given Rosetta Stone a try, but lets just say I wont be returning to use it anytime soon. I believe it to be a tool that would be good for building Aural learning and pronounciation. But for learning the structure and core of the language itself it's not as effective as other methods.

I can't comment that much on effective programs to use/try, as i usually learn Japanese in a class enviroment and i find learning the language as a whole the most effective this way. Although i have found that there are a number of good resources online for helping build written Japanese skills and learning Kana etc. I find that the DS is also good for doing this too.

As i have always said in this forum regarding learning Japanese, your best and more effective way of learning Japanese is by going to classes. A big plus if your Japanese teacher is a native speaker. Check online for classes in your local area.