I will only buy a non-Steam version with no online activation required for installation.
I don't care if there are other versions for people who want Steam. They should be able to have those, too, but I'm only buying non-Steam or nothing. Steam isn't right for me. If it's exclusively Steam, I will not buy.
And please, don't insult my intelligence with that weary false dichotomy - Steam or Securom. It's not as if there are only the two choices. Lots of games manage just fine without Steam or Securom. There are still many games without either.