I had a look at that site, but it's not translated very well, so I
found it hard to understand what tcpa was and what the problem is. Some
kind of hardware-based encryption or security that will only allow
registered programs to work?

Good luck with your againststeam website. I can't help because I know
nothing about making websites, but also because I've thought about your
3 issues against Steam, and I don't agree:

1) Games must come in a box.
It's very satisfying owning the box, but in the case of HL2 you didn't
get anything extra in it. I'd be willing to forego the box in such
cases. It's alrerady happening in the music industry, where you can
download albums, and a lot of software is download only (have you even
seen a boxed version of WinZip?) Think of all the mods for games such
as original HL; the vast majority are download only. I would download a
game if it was cheaper and I wasn't missing out on anything
significant. Perhaps a good compromise would be if they also made the
artwork and instructions available as a pdf, so you could download them
and make your own box?

2) Patches available separately.
Personally, I like my software checking for updates whenever I go
online. Saves me constantly monitoring everything. I can see your point
that if a patch doesn't work, you at least have the option of not
installing it (if you hear abvout it in time) or reinstalling the game
and patching up to the previous level, but that's the only scenario in
which I think it's useful. If you play online, your client needs to be
the same version as the server, so it's useful to be automatically
patched. Again, maybe the next revision of Steam could compromise by
asking you to OK an update before continuing, maybe giving you the
option to continue unpatched if you want (although you'll probably come
undone as soon as you try to connect to a multiplayer server).

3) No authentication required.
Do you mean the initial authentication on installing the game? If it
makes it harder to pirate the game and therefore keeps the street-price
down, I am in favour of authentication. It doesn't take long and is
exactly the same as installing WinXP or most other software and games,
except that it's done over the internet.
If you mean authenticating your account whenever you go online, well
didn't that always happen with the old WON servers? What's changed?
It's just Valve's way of checking that only people who bought the game
can play it. Doesn't every online game employ some kind of check like
this, even if it's entering a username and password? Whenever you go
online, your internat account is authenticated in much the same way? Do
you resent this "humiliating" check as well? I have no problem with my
access rights being checked in this way, if it stops other people using
the licence thatI paid for.

<snip>

Jump the Shark: A defining moment when you know that your favorite
television program/musical band/usenet troll has reached it's peak. That
instand that you know from now on, it's all downhill.

You may go away now difool. Your jump the shark moment was your "Valve is
ugly" thread. You have ceased being amusing in any way.

Not being funny, but if you don't like Steam and Valve, then isn't it a
simple process to 'not buy anything' from them? Every argument has a flip
side, and your views are narrow. It all comes down to how responsible the
said company is. If Valve oversteps its mark, then I will join you, but so
far they are behaving responsibly.

If you like, I will point you in the direction of some causes that really do
need someone to help spread the word. Causes where peoples lives are
directly affected, and have little to do with 'just a game'.

Finally, could you tell me what your eventual aim is? Also, how many years
you intend to dwindle your life away over this?

ho hum.

I thought TCPA was dead and gone...the P4 was supposed to have it, but
it doesn't...right?  Plus, you can deactivate it anyway...

I was wary of this whole steam thing, but now I've changed my mind.  When
you consider that its main detractor is a raving lunatic, the argument
against steam loses all credibility.  Difool has demonstrated to us that
only raving lunatics oppose steam.  Do you really want to pledge your
allegiance to such a person?  Do you want his collapsed reputation to rub
off on you?  No, my friends, you don't!  This is why I encourage all good
citizens to support steam.  Down with difool, up with steam.  Vote for steam
and send a clear message against lunacy.

So basically you want a site full of incorrect information, but about Steam
instead of TCPA?

Try here for technical information about TCPA:

   http://www.research.ibm.com/gsal/tcpa/tcpa_rebuttal.pdf

One would think that the lack of mobilization *might* be a hint that
it's not really all that necessary.