THE ENVELOP STORY 

             en vel op \in-'ve-lup, en-\ vt [OF envoluper, fr. en- + voloper to wrap]
             (14c) 1: to enclose or enfold completely with or as with a covering 2: to
             mount an attack on an enemy's flank

             en gine \en'jen\ n [M E. engin, native talent, hence something produced by
             this < OFr. engin
             < L. ingenium, natural ability, genius] 1: Something used to effect a
             purpose: AGENT, INSTRUMENT

             WHY DID WE CREATE ENVELOP ENGINE AND THE ENVELOPER
             CORPS? 

             Envelop Engine and the Enveloper Corps is our response to dissatisfaction
             with the way large software companies are developing, marketing and
             servicing software. We think there is a much better way to do business,
             one that simplifies the development environment, opens distribution
             channels and fosters communication between the technologists who
             produce and the technologists who consume components.

             By making the development of quality software accessible to a much
             broader community, visual programming tools have fundamentally altered
             software development. And a whole new industry, the component software
             industry, is emerging to serve the needs of this broader community. But the
             current industry model, the one favored by the market leaders, separates
             the producers of components and the consumers of components at every
             turn.

             The componentware market is currently dominated by the VBX and soon
             the OCX. These components are written outside of RAD tools in C atop
             complicated APIs. Although many good components are being developed,
             they are exceedingly difficult to share and reuse. And for the majority of
             the development community who use RAD tools exclusively, this
             component marketplace is inaccessible.

             But even if an individual developer does produce one of these compiled
             components, the current marketing and distribution scheme has no place
             for him. Essentially, the technology produced by users of Visual Basic and
             other similar tools has no market beyond the finished application for
             which it was originally created. There is no infrastructure to help the
             independent technologist market his innovations. Thus, the world divides
             very sharply between component producers, who have the time, money and
             resources to market their components, and component users, most of whom
             would rather work with technology than market it.

             Component consumers aren't given much say in how new technology is
             developed, either. How often can component consumers specify exactly
             what component functionality is needed? When can a consumer speak
             directly to the producer of their components? Probably never. If they're
             lucky, they can fill out some marketing survey. Otherwise, they have to buy
             what they find on the shelves of their local component reseller.

             CHANGING THE RULES 

             We at Envelop want to change these rules. We want to break down the
             barriers between the technologists who make objects and the technologists
             who use them. Our motto is no barriers to development, no barriers to
             distribution and no barriers to collaboration.

             We designed Envelop Engine from the ground up to make it easy to
             develop and share components. Envelop Engine is truly object-oriented,
             providing polymorphism, object inheritance and encapsulation. Robust
             components and applications can be developed within Envelop; if you can
             dream it, it can be enveloped. And the environment is open to extend or
             enhance.

             We built our web site to be centered around two things, an electronic
             marketplace and a community of developers.

             The electronic marketplace is fundamental to changing the rules. It's your
             new marketing division, distribution channel and sales force. It lets you
             finally participate in the exploding componentware market. And it's open
             to every member of the community.

             The community -- we call it the Enveloper Corps -- is the foundation of
             our plans. These are the developers, the high-technologists, who influence
             the future direction of Envelop Engine, make money selling their
             components, earn recognition for the technology they create and
             collaborate with other producers and consumers of technology.

             WHAT'S IN IT FOR US? 

             We are not being altruistic, but our motivations are straightforward. We
             will supply Envelop Engine free -- free today, free tomorrow and free
             many tomorrows after that -- to any and all developers who want to use it.
             We will provide an electronic marketplace for the sale of objects and
             components. And we will maintain a web site that fosters close
             collaboration between producers and consumers of technology.

             But if Envelop Engine is supported by a full-time development staff, how
             will we make any money giving it away? How will we continue to support
             and enhance it? Are we crazy?

             No, we're just first, and innovation is often mistaken for madness.
             Fundamental changes in the software industry are invalidating existing
             business models. Giving software away isn't crazy. Charging for it as if it
             were a loaf of bread is. For years, software companies have fought a
             losing battle to keep control of their bits. But that war is over. The pirates
             won. Ester Dyson, Vice Chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in her
             article, "Intellectual Value" [Wired, July 1995] observes: 

                 "Intellectual property that can be copied easily likely will be
                 copied. It will be copied so easily and efficiently that much of it
                 will be distributed FREE in order to attract attention or create
                 desire for follow-up services that can be charged for. The idea
                 that intellectual property in a Net-based economy can lose its
                 value horrifies most owners and creators. They'd better get over
                 it." 

             We at Envelop have. The Internet makes bits irrelevant. Good software
             gets copied. Period. You can't stop it -- it's a law of nature. So it's getting
             harder and harder to collect money for bits alone. But it's not about bits
             anymore, it's about electronic relationships. Again Ester notes: 

                 "There's no value in software. There's value in services that
                 come with software. There's value in having ideas, and
                 communicating those ideas to people and providing a service to
                 people, built around those ideas. Successful companies are
                 adopting business models in which they're rewarded for
                 services rather than for code." 

             That's us. We will make money by providing services to the Enveloper
             Corps. We will keep a small transaction fee for all objects and
             components sold in our store. We will accept ads for individual
             Envelopers. We will write object reviews at the behest of other
             Envelopers. And at some point, we may charge subscription fees to the
             Enveloper Corps. But we will never charge for Envelop Engine. It is the
             center of the community, and it will continue to be freely available to
             every developer on the Internet.

             Our ambitions at Envelop are lofty. We want to change the face of the
             component marketplace by putting the power in the hands of the individual
             technologist. We want to harness the collective genius of the Internet to
             make the most powerful and robust programming environment ever. We
             want to serve the individuals who comprise this collective genius by
             providing them their due recognition for technological mastery.

             We believe the best components will be developed not by software
             houses, but by individuals working within an electronic community of
             technologists who share a common development platform and a common
             marketplace. Enveloper Corps is that community, and we invite you to join
             us in shaping its destiny. 

WHO WE ARE 

             ENVELOP IS A SMALL, STARTUP SOFTWARE COMPANY dedicated to
             liberating the component marketplace. We are first and foremost a group
             of software developers who understand the challenges that face the
             individual technologist.



             KEY PLAYERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND OTHER FACTS

             John West is the coach of Team Envelop. He has had an illustrious career
             in the software industry. He was a pioneering user of microprocessors in
             the machine tool industry after serving in Vietnam, and his former
             colleagues have started prominent Silicon Valley companies, including
             Sun Microsystems. John continues to break new ground in the software
             industry by providing automation software to manufacturers. And he blows
             a loud whistle.

             Adrian Sannier is the ring leader of the Envelop team. He provides
             general oversight, shepherds product development and writes code when
             necessary. In a previous life, he earned a Ph.D. in computer science and a
             BS in electrical engineering from Michigan State University. His doctoral
             dissertation was on artificial life -- good training for working with this
             group.

             Mike Chase is the resident networking genius and utility player. He can
             write code and build machines and everything in between. He is the
             in-house guru on both Object Oriented Languages and OLE. He has over
             20 years of experience working with various software shops. Mike earned
             his BSEE from Lawrence Tech.

             Brett Harper is the brains behind Envelop Engine's language, Envelop
             Basic. He also wrote the interpreter, among other things. Brett earned his
             MS -- with a nifty dissertation entitled "XOS - an X windows based
             Object oriented System" -- and BS in Computer Science from Michigan
             State University. When he's not chasing after his sixteen month old
             daughter, he's listening to heavy metal music. The pediatricians don't
             expect any permanent damage.

             Desmond Moleski lays claim to the object-oriented database. He is the
             most widely traveled of the group, having worked in Massachusetts and
             Utah, in Ann Arbor, Michigan and at Cal-Berkeley, where he pursued a
             Ph.D. for a while. Dez holds a BS in Computer Science from Michigan
             State University and has the longest pony tail on the team.

             Randy Martin is in charge of the custom solutions group. He has worked
             extensively in the manufacturing industry to provide shop floor solutions to
             engineering data management problems. He has developed solutions for
             many companies in the Fortune 50. He is also our most decorated student
             having graduated from Iowa State University's Honors Program with a BS
             in Industrial Education.

             Kristen Kent is in charge of all of Envelop's documentation efforts. She
             previously handled documentation for three other software companies. A
             former collegiate volleyball player, she spends her spare time teaching her
             eight year old twins the finer points of beach, rather sand box, volleyball.
             Kristen, who earned her BA in English Language and Literature from
             Eastern Michigan University, leaves notes for the project team
             everywhere!

             Jim Knick is a recent addition to the Envelop team. After earning a BS in
             Computer Science from Central Michigan University, he developed CAE
             software for nearly 10 years. Aside from surfing the net, he's been
             tinkering with some Envelop objects. More importantly, however, Jim
             maintains the group's M&M dispenser.

             Joe Meyer is responsible for getting people to the web site. He
             previously worked for Arthur Andersen for five years. In a daydream, he
             earned his MM from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
             Northwestern University. Before that, he received his BBA in Finance
             from the University of Notre Dame. (He'd appreciate it if you told others
             about the site.)

