During the glory days, Jeremy Ord, executive chairman of Dimension Data, and Ronnie Apteker, a founder of Internet Solutions, co-wrote a (shadow-written) book that was cheesily titled Do you love IT in the mornings.

In recent interviews, Ord hasn`t sounded his usual upbeat self either. He can draw consolation, of course, from having systematically sold Didata shares for cash under the mattress, and presciently doing so at prices an order of magnitude higher than today`s dismal levels. Ord does not have holes in his shoes.