The following is a letter to the editor that appeared in The New York Times on December 30, 2001. What follows is a response written by me. To the Editor: Re "Windows XP Users Told of Security Risks" (news article, Dec. 23): The recently discovered security problems with Microsoft's newest operating system do not illustrate the dangers of the Internet. Rather, Windows XP's security problems illustrate a design flaw and the dangers of Microsoft's monopoly, which allows Microsoft to develop inferior products that businesses and individuals have little choice but to buy. Moreover, because of Microsoft's monopoly, a hacker can exploit one security flaw to attack a large number of computers all running the same inferior software, amplifying the risks. Where Microsoft does have competition — in the Internet browser market, for example — even it does better.   -JULIE E. MAYBEE Cedar Knolls, N.J., Dec. 23, 2001 To the Editor: Regarding Windows security flaws, Julie Maybee comments that Microsoft is able "to develop inferior products that businesses and individuals have little choice but to buy." It is unfortunate that people such as Ms. Maybee have little or no understanding of capitalism. Businesses in a capitalistic society have no way to force consumers to purchase anything. The only entity with a monopoly on force is the government (i.e., we are forced to pay taxes to subsidize programs with which we disagree). If we refuse government force, we are fined or imprisoned. Microsoft has no such power. If corporations develop inferior products, consumers will not buy them. Therefore, corporations must continually refine their products to meet demand. Windows serves my needs well, and it has greatly improved over the last several years.  Thus I choose not to switch to Linux or Mac OS or to develop my own operating system. -Bob Murphy