Why would it be installing? WHAT is it installing?
Updates for the game and the steam client itself.
The absolute arrogance of implying they (Steam) have control of what is or is not installed on my PC is incomprehensible!
Steam is a program, not the company; Valve is the company behind steam. And If you want to really blame anybody, blame the game makers, because they chose to use steam as their distribution platform. Note that Steam doesn't interfere in the operation of games that weren't specifically designed to use it.
Because crackers or hackers or whoever, are out to destroy or rob them? NOT MY PROBLEM!
Again, complain to the developer of the game in question, not Steam itself.
Now we all know return policy on software... so now they have STOLEN the product I PAID FOR!
I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a conclusion.
Yes, I'm irate and have every right to be. Steam is invasive, useless and it should be DISCLOSED on the label that use of the product requires Steam!!!
Well, every game I have that uses steam says so on it's label, or at least in the requirements on the rear of the box.
Had I known... I would not have bought it. Incidentally, in order to get rid of it on my desktop PC the only thing I found that worked was a total system recovery and reinstallation of all my other software and files.
Weird. I just uninstalled it using add/remove programs and didn't have any problems. Seems people seem to think that Steam and the games that use it can be teased apart (and they are, but not without illegal tampering of the games files, or if you manage to get an older version of the game that wasn't steam-enabled). Steam is a distribution platform more than anything, really.
It will take a boycott or a class-action lawsuit in order for these narcisistic designers and developers to get their heads out of the clouds and visit us here in reality. Not every customer is the enemy.
Steam isn't about Digital Rights or anything like that. The basic idea is to provide a distribution platform for developers. Instead of having to make their own download and update infrastructure on their servers and integrated into their applications, they just use steam; steam keeps the game updated, detects broken game installations, etc.
Additionally, once you've bought a game into steam, you can download that game anywhere; without the disc, and play it. It's a a step up from the "only work when you have the CD in the computer" games.