Search
Mistral EC
Mistral USA
Established in 1984, Mistral is proud to be widely considered the 'generic' software system provider for the Refrigeration & Air Conditioning industry. In its domestic market, Mistral software is used by more than 85% of refrigeration & air conditioning contracting firms and programs distributed to over 25,000 users in more than 140 countries.
F~!^ Confucius,
a few of the more profound* sayings of founder - 
Chris Latham-Smith
* printable!
click here for most recent observations
Final wishes
There are only two types of luck in life. The bad sort such as getting struck by
lightning and the good sort, which you must generally make for yourself.
Any fool can and usually will give you many reasons why your idea will fail. Only a clever person will show you how your idea might succeed.
Why is it that those* so keen to tell me how to run my business of four decades haven't got a clue what my business does, why it does it, how it does it,
or who it does it for?
*Ultracrepidarian
Every idea starts with imagination.
99% of people fail to see opportunities even when these
bite them in the arse. Then complain when the remaining 1% succeed.
Those who pay the least generally complain the most.
Those presuming to tell us they know a lititle about how to run an operation like ours, we ignore. Those claiming to be experts we crucify!
Comment Chris made about one of his former bosses. “What he totally lacked in any sort of
business acumen at all he more than amply made up for by being the Chairman's son.”
When it comes to profit I've always found that ten percent of something is preferable to one hundred percent of nothing.
With the possible exception of career divorcees men generally earn more than women.
Not saying I don't like you but I’d unplug your life support to charge my mobile.
No one is indispensable. However some are more dispensable than others!
Nothing wrong with swimming against the tide. I spent my whole life doing it!
She is a good wife for me. Excellent cook and a hard working gardener. Two out of three ain't bad.
When a doctor makes a mistake they can risk a person’s life. When an engineer makes one they can risk hundreds. Why then do doctors usually gain more kudos and earnings than engineers?
Helping to create wealth for other deserving people generally guarantees your own.
Motivate your most talented staff with the good news that one day they might be promoted to your position. To ensure their loyalty in the meantime follow that with the bad news they might still end up reporting to you.
Those constantly trying to pull you down can only do so from beneath you.
(Arnold H Glasow)
The three most important needs of any business are its customers, its customers and its customers. In that order. The three most important assets of any business are its staff, its staff and its staff. In that order.
A good employee often becomes a very good friend. The reverse is almost never true.
Profit is considered by many to be a dirty word. It is a fact though that without profit the great majority of people alive in the world today, including these cynics, would never have even existed!
If you ever find yourself in the position where you are recruiting a subordinate then try to identify candidates bearing the qualities needed to replace you. Otherwise you are unlikely to ever be promoted!
None so easy to offend as those seeking offence.
It is bad enough over estimating a contract at time of tender and losing it on price but there is one situation far, far worse. Under estimating the costs and then winning it!
History has proven over and over again that businesses offering products cheaper than those of any of their competitors almost invariably fail. I can send you my list of these. It's very long and quite expensive!
The Father of one of our talented staff once said "How would your company manage without my son?" I replied "I’d look for and find another employee like your son. Would your son though manage to find another employer like us?!"
Software coding. If you aren't in a cold sweat, heart pounding, with a lump in your throat and a pit in your stomach then you probably aren't doing it right.
Forgiveness only serves two people. The redeemer and their antagonist. For the rest of us it further unravels the valuable lessons of civilisation.
If you have to study a book in order to operate a piece of software then find another piece of software. Books you get from WHSmith bookshops. Expert System software you get from Mistral.
Sixty years ago as a vain youth my recurring nightmare was being caught wandering down our local High Street, naked, apart from a barrel suspended around my waist.
More than half a century on and as a vain wrinkly my fear is that it’s now highly unlikely to ever happen.
Top of pageIn the final analysis the Banking Sector only has one product - Inflation!
Any mariner worth his salt will testify that the ancient device of splicing a rope works simply because the more it is stretched then the tighter it becomes. I've met scores of people like that.
My teachers told me I was a late developer.
I told them that was because they were bad teachers.
To my mind, mankind, as the self styled 'superior species', has a duty of total and maximum possible care to every creature on Planet Earth. Including even those that would not hesitate to put you on their dinner menu!
If you don't know the answer then know someone who does.
The wonderful thing about the Global Warming debate is how no one needs either provable facts or any relevant qualifications whatsoever in order to join in.
The reason I'm above average weight is because too many skinny people mess up the statistics.
No one buys any product because of what it is. People buy products because of what they do.
When will dumb software developer nerds realise software should be like a car? Software users, like car drivers should not be expected to help build the engine before setting off for the supermarket.
I'm not afraid of death. I'm more worried about being forced to come back!
Newton's famous apple was quite obvious.
Especially if you happened to be amongst the millions who thought of it second.
If there really was a God then she would have had more sense than to make people in different colours.
Contrary to rumour I never criticise anyone for ignorance.
Only for deception or rudeness. I am ignorant of Brain Surgery or landing a Boeing 777 for example.
However I would be quite willing to have a go.
Don't EVER sell yourself short. In life there will be no lack of your lessors prepared to do that for you!
The main challenges I faced throughout my entire life were obstacles created by a constant stream of cynics and some limitations of physics. I overcame all.
The best time to sell a possession is when you don't need to.
"I'm sorry I can't answer your call. However it's your fault for calling me when I'm out!"
Mark Twain once said: "Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." When did you meet him?
Next time you're passing through then please do.
Having a criminal record isn't so bad. Actually, I've got one. It's by Barry Manilow.
People describing themselves as late developers is their polite way of saying they had poor teachers when they attended school.
Socialism. An economic system by which people who work the hardest and contribute the most to society are fiercely penalised for doing so by that same society.
He would be wise to show more respect. I have been dealing with his employer since before he was even a sperm!
Our prices depend upon the attitude of the customer.
Friends, Romans, Countrypersons, send me your arrears!
My dear wife told me that I can offend a lot of people. So I thought long and hard about that. I decided to correct it. In future then I'll try not to leave anyone out.
Nature provided me with a large stomach for a reason. And who in their right mind would argue with nature?
"Money doesn't necessarily bring happiness" But at least you can be miserable in comfort! (plagiarised from an ex girlfriend's worldly wise Grandmother)
The day you think you have produced a perfect software solution is the day you should consider changing your career.
The car one drives can say so much about its owner. The reason I've never considered buying a Porsche.
In response to irrelevant and unnecessary questions from insurer Aviva's Pension Fund evil gatekeepers. After fraudulently claiming to 'lose' Chris's Recorded Delivery Pension withdrawal claim form, not once but twice! Thus invoking Government decreed final submission cut off date, thereby evading Chris entitled full fund withdrawal:-
"Are you incontinent?"
"Yes. Europe."
"Are you doubly incontinent?"
"No. Just Europe"
Post Script: It worked! Got their full attention third time around!
If you don't reply on a timely basis, that is, reply within 24 hours, then you have only one excuse.
"What's that?"
"You're dead!"
Chris. Commenting upon historical slavery and modern day minimum wage. Particularly in the Far East. "The chains are now subliminal. But they're still there!"
"It strikes me that half the world's leaders are half wits and most of the remainder are just plain stupid!"
A gentlemen is someone who knows how to play the Bagpipes, but doesn't!
Golden rules for a good, productive meeting.
1) Remove all the furniture from the meeting room.
2) Chairman to start meeting off with "Any other business?"
Our business did not succeed because of Microsoft Corporation.
Our global business succeeded despite Microsoft Corporation! What Microsoft fail to understand is if it was not for software developers like our organisation then they could not have survived.
"As you approach the final curtain, sorry to ask but do you have any final wishes?"
"Yes, I would like to be buried on top of my ex wife's lover."
Artificial Intelligence. Artificial, as synonymous with fake, not real, not genuine. It strikes me that developers of and proponents of Artificial Intelligence might have chosen a more intelligent monicker for their product.
Never, ever, publicly criticise the performance of your subordinates.
Big, big, BIG mistake. Apart from disloyalty it demonstrates a total lack of one's own leadership abilities.
Clever people see solutions. Less clever people only see problems.
Our organisation does not use Artificial Intelligence. All our organisation's intelligence is real!"©
"Oh I'm sorry. Did the middle of my brief comment interfere with your interruption?!"
Usual large corporation catastrophe syndrome. Everyone is talking, but no one is listening!
Why do we own and drive four cars? Simple. Because we cannot afford to own and drive five cars! OK? Next question.
I'm very proud to have so many would be imitators. Even more so when they all fail.
When you get to seventy five and you wake up without any pain in the morning it's because you're dead!
As a child I was an ardent sinner. Fortunate to have a wonderful childhood, brought up in the care of a loving, considerate and responsible family. When invited to parties Mother always used to tell me, "Don't forget to apologise to the nice people before you leave!"
Reducing taxes puts more money in the hands of poor people. So then what happens? Yes, they only go out and spend it! On luxuries. Like food. And where does that leave the country? More production, so more jobs and thus more tax revenue. Can't be doing with that. Can we?! (Doesn't one need an 'O' Level or something to be a Chancellor?)
I quite like yoga except for strawberry flavour.
There would be far less misogyny in the world if there were even a small reduction in misandry.
To err is but human. To really fuck things up requires AI.
I fought the Law and the Law won I won!
You think the Sayings of Chris have no merit, so why have you read this far? Feedback 
Some comments and opinions on this page are not necessarily shared by all saner members of Mistral's team. No animals, fish, insects or molluscs were hurt during the making of this production. The same cannot be said for Enviro-terrorists, Wokes and other unemployables.
Close and return to previous page
Chris's 'Hit Parade'
Bringing benefits of computerisation to industry - without historically associated problems.