ive had no problem with steam. as a matter of fact i had more problems with my games before i got steam. i love the fact that i can play HL2 and all my other games without fumbling for that dumb CD that crashes the game every time it gets the slightest scratch or fingerprint on it. buy the CD and install it once and forget you ever had it. and if u finally got rid of that tin-can-on-a-string dialup modem, u can download it.
come to think of it i believe CDs are becoming obsolete. i never use my CD player anymore cause i got all my songs on my ipod and most of my games ive either downloaded or they run on steam. (sorry to change the subject but i got ADD)