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 toliberating 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.

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.

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. He earned his MM from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and his BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. (He'd appreciate it if you told others about the site.)
