On the Note of Bloat, I'll remark that Steam has a remarkably lightweight client - I'm currently running a five year old Acer rig carrying a graphics card that just wasn't made to render in 3d, a gig of RAM and a processor that can't process. I get poor framerates on games from 2003 if I push them too hard - and I can still run Steam's client more easily than firefox or your average chat messenger, despite its profusion of in-browser videos and interactivities.

Rather than dreading impending bloat, I'm just pleased they've kept it so streamlined for this long, whatever the future holds.

Steerpike: I wasn't aware you could disable Steamguard! That will come in handy in future, I think - thankyou 🙂 It isn't my solution at the moment but it's a useful tip for other purposes.

xtal: Aye, I'm familiar with the .blob fix, it's a sort of catch-all first resort for steam client issues that dates back years. Thankyou, though =)

...

The problem has self-resolved, but it's the inconvenience that bothers me, and the uncomfortable awareness that a rising value in games I 'own' but do not 'own' are controlled by this company from the other side of a great big ocean who have the customer-service capacity of a four week roadkill elk.

Worse still, the fact I own games on discs that I cannot even play without Steam's permission?! O.o I know it warned me on the back of the box, but that doesn't imply I had a choice! The only choice we have if these restrictions are unacceptable to our internet access or lifestyles or locations is piracy - an altogether easier, cheaper resort by all accounts.

Personally, while I find nothing unethical in piracy I prefer to buy because I have a very nosy and very invasive ISP who have sent threatening letters to my household in the past for family member's dodgy practises, I often pirate or manually crack games I legitimately own just to fix the myriad issues and inconveniences inflicted upon me by the DRM...

...

Well, I've gone way off topic. Rant concluded, for now - as soon as I've recognised...

"The only way Steam can work is if it works seamlessly."

... Helmut's well-spoken contribution. Too right. When you hold the keys to the thousand-dollar investments of millions of people, there is no acceptable rate of failure, no margin for error. You've invited countless eggs into just one basket, and you're obligated to hold it very tight.