About eM�bius
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is eM�bius?
- eM�bius is a highly customizable electronic mail and communications
program. Similar in features to Microsoft Outlook, eM�bius fully
supports both POP and IMAP email servers, and is extensible, allowing the
customer to add support for other email servers, or to customize it in many
different ways.
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- What is Zeus?
- ZEUS stands for "Zugg's Extensible User-interface Scripting" and
is the core application that eM�bius is built upon. The majority of eM�bius
is written in a text-based XML scripting format, which is interpreted by the
core Zeus application engine. This allows the customer to edit the eM�bius
application to add features, customize it, and completely change the user
interface as needed, while still running using the facilities provided by
the core Zeus engine. [More information about
Zeus]
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- When I download eM�bius I don't see any email client!
- Currently, eM�bius is only available as a "Pre-Order".
The file that you download only contains some technology demonstrations
showing how Zeus is used to write user-extensible applications. The
actual eM�bius application files will ship later this year. Any
license that you purchased for using the demo applications will be valid for
the future eM�bius application. Stay tuned to the www.emobius.com
web site for future announcements.
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- When will eM�bius actually ship then?
- The initial Beta versions of eM�bius are expected in the Fall of
2004. The first public version is expected later in 2005.
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- How do I customize eM�bius?
- Load the eM�bius.zml file into any text editor, such as Notepad.
This is the main application user interface file for eM�bius. This is
the file interpreted by the core Zeus engine. This file is a standard
XML format. The extension is "zml" instead of
"xml" so that Windows can run Zeus directly if you click on a
"zml" file. The Documentation Library contains more detailed
information on Zeus applications and how to customize them.
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- Is a Zeus Development Environment available?
- Since Zeus application files are stored in standard XML format, any XML
tool can be used to edit or manipulate the file. However, for those
who want a full development environment, a project called "ZDE"
(Zeus Development Environment) is planned. ZDE will allow you to
develop Zeus applications in a graphical development environment similar to
Visual Basic, or Borland's Delphi. Stay tuned to the www.emobius.com
for further announcements. This product will be released after the
first public version of eM�bius.
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- How does eM�bius differ from Microsoft Outlook?
- eM�bius was intended to replace Microsoft Outlook for most users.
However, eM�bius does not have any built-in support for Microsoft Exchange
servers. Plugins from 3rd parties might be available for Exchange
Server, but eM�bius itself only supports POP and IMAP natively.
Otherwise, eM�bius shares a similar Visual Basic scripting ability to
customize itself, and has the same full COM object support for external
applications and plugins. Outlook Plugins cannot be directly loaded
into eM�bius, but since eM�bius uses a similar architecture, the plugin
developer should be able to create a new version that works with eM�bius.
eM�bius is less expensive than Outlook and works on any version of Windows
from Windows 95 to the latest version, and does not require any Microsoft
Office components. A more detailed Feature Comparison Chart is
available.
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- How does eM�bius differ from Mozilla Thunderbird?
- Mozilla is an Open-Source, Cross-Platform development system.
Firefox is the Web browser written to run on Mozilla, and Thunderbird is the
email client written for Mozilla. In a sense, Mozilla is like Zeus and
Thunderbird is like eM�bius. Mozilla/Thunderbird and Zeus/eM�bius
are very similar in design and architecture. The major difference is
that Mozilla is cross-platform and runs on Windows, linux, and other
operating systems. Zeus is Windows-Only and does NOT run on any other
operating system. So, if you require an email client that runs on
different operating systems, eM�bius is NOT for you. However, Zeus/eM�bius
is optimized for Microsoft Windows and natively supports Windows features
such as COM objects and Microsoft Scripting that Mozilla does not
support. So, if you only use Microsoft Windows, Zeus/eM�bius will be
faster, take less memory, and be more compatible with your other
applications. For application developers, Mozilla only supports
Javascript, whereas Zeus supports any scripting language installed into the
Microsoft Scripting engine, which includes Visual Basic and Javascript by
default, and can be expanded to include scripting languages such as Perl and
Python. A more detailed Feature Comparison Chart is available.
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- How does eM�bius differ from IBM/Lotus Notes?
- Like Zeus, Lotus Notes is also an application development system.
The Lotus Notes Email application support many of the same features as eM�bius.
However, while Zeus can be used to development almost any type of
application, every Lotus Notes application is a database application.
Thus, in order to run Lotus Notes applications, you must be running a Domino
server. Domino is the database server used for Notes
applications. Lotus Notes is much more expensive than Zeus/eM�bius
and is intended for large-scale corporate installations. Zeus and eM�bius
are intended for individual users or small workgroups or small businesses
that cannot afford the full investment in Lotus Notes.
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- I use Outlook Express, AOL, MSN, Hotmail, or Yahoo Mail. Should I
switch to eM�bius?
- eM�bius is not free. If you are happy with your current email
provider, than there is no reason to switch to eM�bius. However, if
you are looking for more features in your email client, better control over
spam, or need an email program that can be customized to work the way *you*
want it to work, then you should try eM�bius for 30-days for free. If
you like it, then you'll need to buy it. In general, eM�bius is not
intended to compete with free email clients.
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- Can I run eM�bius on linux or Macintosh?
- No. Zeus and eM�bius are PC-Windows ONLY applications. They
are highly optimized for Windows and will never run on any other operating
system. If you need something similar that runs on multiple platforms,
take a look at the cross-platform and open-source Mozilla
project.
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- Can I write and sell my own Zeus application?
- Yes. We are working on methods to allow you to license your own
applications written for Zeus. Your customer will still need to
purchase a Zeus license in order to run your application. You will
also need programming tools that can create Windows DLL files to store the
custom objects and components for your application, such as Borland's
Delphi, or Microsoft's Visual Studio or Visual Basic. You then send
this DLL file to Zugg Software to have is wrapped with the eLicense
system. When people run your application, they will need to buy a
license for your DLL file. eLicense will handle the licensing and
sales and will send you a monthly check for your sales, minus their
processing charges. This system is still under development. You
will need to be a licensed customer of the Zeus Development Environment (ZDE).
Once the ZDE is shipping, interested developers should contact Zugg Software
for more information on how to license their own custom applications.
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- How is eM�bius licensed?
- At this early stage, licensing details are still being worked out.
Currently, any license that you buy will allow you to download and use
current and future versions of Zeus and eM�bius for a period of 2
years. After your 2 years is up, you will be able to purchase an
upgrade for a reduced cost that will give you another 2 years of new
versions. The reduced upgrade cost will be valid for 6 months after
your initial 2 years has expired. If you purchase an additional 2
years at a later time, you will have to pay the full cost of that current
version again.
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- NOTE: The versions you download during your 2 years will work forever and
will never expire. The 2 years only applies to downloading and running
newer versions.
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- EXAMPLE: You purchase eM�bius at version 2.0. Every month or so, a
new minor update is released. You can download and run those updates
for free. A year later, eM�bius v3.0 is released. Since this is
within your initial 2 year license period, you can download and run v3.0 for
free and continue using it forever. 13 months later, eM�bius v4.0 is
released. Now you are past your initial 2 year license period, so if
you download and run v4.0, it will not work. You can continue using
your previous version, or since you are within 6 months of your license
expiration, you can buy a new upgrade license for a reduced cost. This
will give you a new 2-year license period, starting at the time that you
purchase your upgrade. Let's say you decide to wait, and 6 months
later eM�bius v5.0 is released. Now you are past your 6-month grace
period and if you want to run v5.0, you will need to buy a new 2-year
license at the full price. Or, again, you can continue to use your old
versions that will continue to work forever.
- This licensing scheme is designed to protect both the customer and the
developer. As a customer, you get free upgrades for 2 years after you
purchase your license. This protects you from buying a product right
before a new major version and then getting charged for that version like
some other companies do. During the 2 year period, you can expect many
minor updates, and at least one new major update. This is better than
many companies that charge for each new major version. However, Zugg
Software is also protected so that it can continue to make enough money to
offer continuous development of new features, and provide quality technical
support.
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- I lost my registration code. How do I get it back?
- If eM�bius is still installed on your computer, right-click on the
ZEUS.EXE file and select the License Details from the eLicense Control
menu. If eM�bius is not installed, go to the eLicense support page at
www.elicense.com and enter your
customer information to retrieve your license information.
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- I just got a new computer. Can I still run eM�bius?
- Your eM�bius license allows you to install and run it on up to 3
different computers. So, you can run the same copy of eM�bius on your
home computer, your work computer, and your laptop, for example. If
you get a new computer, you can "Unlicense" eM�bius on one of
your existing computers. Simply right-click on the ZEUS.EXE file and
select Unlicense from the eLicense Control menu. Once you have
unlicensed eM�bius on your old computer, you can then re-use that
registration code on your new computer. Just run Zeus or eM�bius and
enter your registration code when prompted.
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- I had to reformat Windows. What happened to my license?
- When you run eM�bius, it will contact the remote eLicense server and will
re-issue your license automatically. Your license is tied to your
computer hardware, so if you have completely changed your hardware and get a
CODE 17 error, that means all 3 of your licenses are in use and you need to
contact eLicense at support@elicense.com
to have your license reset.
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- Will my license ever expire?
- No, your license is valid forever for the version of eM�bius you
purchased, and every new version released for the following 2 years.
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- Does eM�bius "phone home" all the time to validate it's
license?
- No. eM�bius will contact the remote eLicense database to verify
your registration code the first time you purchase it. After that it
will not contact the eLicense servers again. If you reformat or change
computer hardware, then you might need to Unlicense and relicense the
software and when this happens, it *will* need to contact eLicense
again.
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- I'm not connected to the Internet. How do I install my license?
- Normally, eM�bius requires an active connection to the Internet to
install and validate your license the first time you run it. If your
computer is not connected to the Internet, you can click the Offline button
in the license installation and then use a different computer that is
connected to the Internet to obtain your license validation, which you can
then copy and paste into your unconnected computer to activate it's license.
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- Does it matter if I change the date on my computer?
- If you are using the 30-day free trial period, changing the date on your
computer might invalidate your trial and end it early. However, once eM�bius
is registered, then you can freely change your date without a problem,
although you should never change your date or time while any software is
actually running on your computer.