Mine is already gone off my system, I think... but now Steam keeps checking for updates when it starts up.
At least they're not just sitting on their asses waiting for cash, they're taking steps to improve it (or so they say)
I haven't used Offline mode in years. The closest I get to using it is No-Connection mode (login to steam, put computer to sleep/hibernate)
Well as someone that has often found himself in a position that there is simply no internet connection available (Either this was because technical issues or being in the goddamn middle of nowhere) I can say that I'm quite happy they're improving it.
Before I had unlimited internet with 24/7 connection I used it for my single player game... Half-Life 2... that's all. Back in 2004 when I got HL2 I got introduced to this 'Steam' which I had no idea how it works and such, all I knew is I needed internet to get my retail game running. And I was under the impression that it worked like the old days when if you break a CD then you lost your game... and HL2 having 5 CDs at the time was an issue for me so I bought the DVD eventually and later found that I actually have an online account with my games saved on it and can be downloaded without the need of the disk. Over that period of time I used offline mode till I finally got real internet up and soon explored the world of CSS and eventually the Steam community.