In my opinion, this marks the point where Windows started its slide towards user-hostility. Things like "the file [...] is a simple RC4-encrypted database" show

In my opinion, this marks the point where Windows started its slide towards user-hostility. Things like "the file [...] is a simple RC4-encrypted database" show that the owner of the machine was being treated as an adversary. It was not much at the time (most of the system was still very open), but once you get into the mentality that the user is not an ally but an enemy, it becomes easy to justify locking it down more and more.