Hoping for a flash of inspiration for a readable column, I took a computer to a Starbucks coffee shop in downtown Austin and sat near the window, watching the passersby closely. The hot weather didn't deter me: I drank hot coffee while I brainstormed.

Fortunately, two men sitting at the counter were having a spirited conversation about corporate IT trends. One mentioned an article in the May issue of the Harvard Business Review called "IT Doesn't Matter."

I was using a notebook with Wi-Fi capability, so while I eavesdropped eagerly, I was quickly on the Web, Googled on the title "IT Doesn't Matter," and up popped an interesting defense by the author, Nick Carr, who offered lively comments on his detractors.

His essay had a link to a downloadable version of the article, offered from Amazon.com, for $7.

Here, my little story of high-tech productivity (Wi-Fi, Google, Amazon, you get the picture) peters out some, because I wasn't about to spend $7 for a four-month-old article. I was three blocks from the Austin public library, and what are library cards for, anyway, but to save money?

At the library, I found the original Carr article, which seemed tame, given the outpouring of reaction. Later that evening, a friend lent me a copy of a recent BusinessWeek, which included an interview with Carr, and a spirited rebuttal of Carr's thesis by Andy Grove.

Carr's article is worth mentioning because it's likely that at least a few CEOs will read it and forestall larger spending on information technology. That is important because the rebound in semiconductors still depends fairly heavily on a familiar theme: corporations upgrading the personal computers they provide to workers.

Carr advises his managerial readers to be bold and resist unnecessary PC upgrades. "The most lavish spenders on IT rarely post the best (financial) results," he notes, and advises that "the longer you wait, the more you will get for your money."

He even suggests that CEOs should buy "bare-bones network PCs," rather than give in to the PC upgrade urge.

This fellow Carr needs to listen to the "Work can be Fun" school of thought a bit more. Without Wi-Fi, Google, and yes, on a good day even Amazon.com, where would inspiration come from?

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