Steam for Mac, added as login item

[saw1980]

Why would you do that without at least asking the user?

[amcw]

It didn't get added for me. I think I got a choice, but I'm not really sure.

[FroggySwede]

Steam --> Preferences --> Interface --> Run Steam when my computer starts

I agree it shouldn't be checked by default, though.

[Ambig]

Nice catch Saw1980.

[jo-shadow]

Why would they do that? Why are you surprised? It's the same for windows users.
Annoying, sure, but nothing new. It's been the default ever since steam launched.

You can also change this setting in system preferences, just click
 -> System Preferences... -> Accounts -> Login Items
and remove steam from the list.

You can even do this while steam is running, and steams settings update accordingly.

[Nocashvalue]

Why would you do that without at least asking the user?

Agreed. This is irritating and unnecessary - if anything the default behaviour should be the opposite.

[Nocashvalue]

Why would they do that? Why are you surprised? It's the same for windows users.
Annoying, sure, but valve seems fine with it, since steam always had that as the default.

It's standard on windows as every program under the sun tries to shoehorn its way into startup. On a mac it's a bit of an anomaly, and an annoying one at that.

[bigwig992]

Yeah I hated it autostarting on Windows at first, but than I came to love it. Whenever I started my computer Steam would auto update any of my games so I didn't have to wait to launch them later on. Also, I kept the friends list open as an instant messenger so I could see when friends were in games, and than join them.

All that said, I disabled the auto start up on OSX, but only because it kept kicking me off my PC steam account. If I was gaming all the time on my Mac Book, I'd probably let it start up automatically.

[JoeR]

It takes less time and clicking to right click the dock, slide to 'Options' and click 'Open at Login' to turn this off than it does to reply to this message with a rage emoticon.

[Detaer]

I turned off auto start and now I can't even get steam to open. I get an icon on my dock and that is about it.

[FuzzyPuffin]

It takes less time and clicking to right click the dock, slide to 'Options' and click 'Open at Login' to turn this off than it does to reply to this message with a rage emoticon.

That may be so, but there is no reason why the user should do this to begin with. There are no apps for the mac that add itself to your login items without asking.

[Mangr0v3]

Only two programs have ever added themselves as auto-start-on-login, and both of them I've had to disable auto-start-on-login:

Skype and Steam.

[jarunasax]

Make that 3 Skype, Veoh video player, and steam (but that is hypotetical for me since I can't get steam to recognize that I have internet)

[nano....]

Steam autostarts on Windows as well. It's intended to work this way; so other users can see your status, games can update, etc.

At least Steam does it the right way, as opposed to other OS X apps (yes YOU Skype...)

[darcagn]

It takes less time and clicking to right click the dock, slide to 'Options' and click 'Open at Login' to turn this off than it does to reply to this message with a rage emoticon.

It also takes less time for the programmer to not add Steam to the login items, but he did it anyway.

[kraral]

It also takes less time for the programmer to not add Steam to the login items, but he did it anyway.

+1.

Mac apps just don't insert themselves into the user's login items without asking. It's very rude.

[Jorwell]

The problem still exists. Steam adds itself to the login items without asking. This is highly inappropriate.

[jeanlain]

Steam doesn't need to be constantly running, not more than any other app like iChat or MS Messenger, both of which ask the user if they want to connect automatically after login.
There is no reason for such behavior.

[Jorwell]

Well, on Windows this might be a common behavior. But I bought a Mac to escape that level of software quality. And except for Growl, I haven't seen any Mac application adding itself to the startup.

[ASecondOpinion]

Well, the thing is...
You've installed it now. If it's that much of an issue untick the checkbox, like others have said.

Regardless of whether you should or shouldn't have to do it with programs Valve have made Steam automatically start up so in this case you have to.

It's a once-click checkbox and then you never have to touch that setting again. Just do that and be over with it.

[Jorwell]

It's not about me or any user in the forums. People like us can deal with such things. It's about what the average Joe expects. Software that is inconsistent with the rest of the system usually distracts people.

[ATLbandit]

It isn't inconsistent to what the Windows version does. Compare it with the Windows version before comparing it to other Mac software.

[Jorwell]

Steam for Mac is not a Windows application.

[ATLbandit]

Steam for Mac is not a Windows application.

It has already been stated their goal was to make it the same experience on both platforms, please refer to initial reply.

[Jorwell]

I don't see how Steam in Login Items correlates with that.

[PriestessPaula]

...god, other mac users, stop being such babies.
This program allows you to launch other programs, namely games.
with out this program, your games would not launch.

In an equivalent, do you want to have to start up finder so you can see your other applications every time you boot up Mac OS X?
I know that isn't a perfect analogy, but really, guys, why is this a big deal?

[Mangr0v3]

In an equivalent, do you want to have to start up finder so you can see your other applications every time you boot up Mac OS X?

I already do that. I put in my username and password, and it starts Finder.

[Crab]

I think that it's based off the assumption that if you install Steam, you want to play games on demand. Since people usually wait for their computer to start anyway, it's logical that Steam would start then so that the games are available right away.

It's also based on the assumption that starting Steam isn't intrusive, which on the Mac it is because the window pops up.

I dunno, a minor annoyance that can actually be worked around in an official manner. I've heard worse. It'd simply be nice if it were a user choice rather than default, but it's not really necessary.

I think anyone that wanted to use Steam for Mac has it set up the way they want already.

I'm not sure you can argue consistency. I don't think Mac users in general fit the stereotype of a very simple user that freaks out if anything's different. They learned about Steam in the first place, didn't they?

[Janichsan]

I think that it's based off the assumption...
When you assume you make an ♥♥♥ of u and me.

[Jorwell]

Is it possible to have a decent discussion here?

Studies have shown that unexpected software behavior confuses the user. Period. People don't like windows, or even ads, to pop up at startup. And it's far away from logic that applications you use on a daily basis behave that way.

[Janichsan]

Is it possible to have a decent discussion here?
When you are referring to my post, it might have been a bit snarky but I was trying to make a point: never assume anything, especially not when you think you might know what the user of your software wants. Chances are good you are wrong. When in doubt, ask!

In this concrete case, this means that Steam should ask at first launch whether it may put itself among the login items.

[ATLbandit]

I don't see how Steam in Login Items correlates with that.

How does the fact that when you install Steam on Windows it starts WITH Windows and then when you install Steam on Mac it starts WITH OS X not relate to what has been stated that the experience of Steam on both platforms was made to mirror each other? It is difficult to not be matter of fact when that simple point which has been stressed by even the developers themselves does not seem to be understood at a basic level. In the time it took to read one page of this thread, you could have already deleted the Login Item several times over.

This thread, like several others, completely perpetrates the hatred and immaturity Windows users have towards the Mac community as a whole - it plays right into the stereotype that they have for us. Therefore I will argue against it time and time again. This is becoming like AM Talk Radio, complain about something over and over but don't do anything to make the changes yourselves. I want to see more games for Mac come out on Steam, this is priority one over anything else in my mind. I'd like to see Mac seen more as a gaming platform, complete with a game server browser and administrator like Qtracker (which I am working on) and other items of that sort.

Quite frankly, if I were a game developer and came across threads like these, I would certainly reconsider or be less likely to consider bringing my game to the Mac platform.

[Jorwell]

Would you agree that Steam running, but not popping up at startup, is a compromise?

[ATLbandit]

Would you agree that Steam running, but not popping up at startup, is a compromise?

You mean to have it hidden as opposed to showing the window if you have it set to Auto-logon? Yes, absolutely I can get on board with that. I'd love to see it use a Menu Bar icon instead of the dock icon if possible. However, I do believe Apple prefers a dock icon and I believe is a requirement of Apps in the App Store. Not that Steam would have to comply with this, just stating Apple "heavily encourages" dock-icon use for running programs.

[Jorwell]

You mean to have it hidden as opposed to showing the window if you have it set to Auto-logon?

Yes. Opt-in would be neater, though.