Index: mod/kcore/boot.rt.c
==================================================================
--- mod/kcore/boot.rt.c
+++ mod/kcore/boot.rt.c
@@ -9,15 +9,10 @@
 		const char** argv, /* arguments */
 		char** envp /* environment */ ) {
 
 	_k_internal_binary_name = argv[0];
 
-	envp ++; /* envp seems to point at a leading null;
-				this is probably a sign of breakage but
-				i don't know what else to do about it for
-				the moment. */
-
 	char** ep;
 	/* advance ep until it points at the last element */
 	for (ep = envp; *ep != 0; ++ep);
 
 	/* allocate space for each environment variable */

Index: mod/kcore/boot.rt.x86.lin.64.s
==================================================================
--- mod/kcore/boot.rt.x86.lin.64.s
+++ mod/kcore/boot.rt.x86.lin.64.s
@@ -21,27 +21,35 @@
 	; this is a 32-bit signed(??) integer
 	; that is equal to the number of
 	; elements in argv (see below). it is
 	; not strictly necessary, because argv
 	; is per spec always null-terminated,
-	; but we pass it just in case.
+	; but we pass it just in case. it is
+	; also used for finding the environment
+	; below.
 
 	lea rsi, [rsp + 8] ; &arguments
 	; 2nd argument to _boot(): ptr to argv
 	; this points to an array of strings
 	; containing the program's command line
 	; arguments. _boot() does not need to 
 	; parse this, but it does need to store
 	; it in the structure passed to main()
+	; this exists on the stack, right above
+	; argc
 
-	lea rdx, [rsp + 16] ; &environment
+	lea rdx, [rsp + rdi * 8 + 16] ; &environment
 	; third argument to _boot(): ptr to envp
 	; this points to the list of environment
 	; variables for the running program. it
 	; is the responsibility of _boot to parse
 	; this list and arrange it into a set of
-	; legible and useful C arrays.
+	; legible and useful C arrays. it exists
+	; above the argument list, the math is
+	; stack pointer + argc*pointers(8 bytes)
+	; + 16 bytes (argc itself and the
+	; terminating null from argv)
 
 	mov rax, 0 ; zero out %rax
 	; this is required by the C ABI, and is
 	; reputedly necessary for compatibility
 	; with icc, intel's own proprietary C