     core.export global
 
     #
+    # set the environment
+    #
+    define 'ENVIRONMENT', process.env.ENVIRONMENT ? process.env.NODE_ENV ? 'development'
+
+    #
     #  The coffee-script file extension
     #
     define 'EXT', '.coffee'

    define 'FCPATH', realpath(__dirname) + '/'

    #
    # set the environment
    #
    define 'ENVIRONMENT', process.env.ENVIRONMENT ? process.env.NODE_ENV ? 'development'

    #
    # discover the system path
    #
    $system_folder = if realpath('system') then 'system' else FCPATH + 'system'
    unless is_dir($system_folder)
      exit "Your system folder path is not set correctly."

    #
    # discover the application path
    #
    $app_folder = if realpath($apppath) then $apppath else FCPATH + $apppath
    unless is_dir($app_folder)
      exit "Your application folder path not set correctly."

    #  Path to the system folder
    #
    define 'SYSPATH', realpath($system_folder) + '/'

    #
    # The path to the "application" folder
    #
    define 'APPPATH', realpath($app_folder) + '/'

    #
    # The path to the "assets" folder (optional)

    define 'MODPATH', if is_dir($modpath) then realpath($modpath) + '/' else false

    #
    # Verify the embedding application path
    #
    unless is_dir($apppath)
      console.log "WARN Your application folder path not set correctly"
      console.log "WARN --> #{$apppath} <--"
      console.log "WARN Booting default exspresso application"

    #
    # Initialize the API
    #
    core()

    #
    # Create the top level system controller
    #
    define 'exspresso', new system.core.Exspresso

