SAP has announced that, for the first time, individual developers can now purchase an annual developer license for the SAP NetWeaver platform, allowing them to create various types of customized user interfaces for SAP NetWeaver applications that can be based on either Java or ABAP.

Subscriptions will be sold via the SAP Developer Network (SDN) and Business Process Expert community sites.

The new SDN Subscriptions program, says SAP, makes NetWeaver easily accessible to developers, software architects, consultants and business process experts. Its accompanying announcement declared:

"Now individuals have a streamlined, cost-effective way to experience the benefits of enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA) as they develop strategies to deploy SAP NetWeaver within their own - or their customers' - organizations."

The program offers individual developers and consultants a one-year license for internal developmental and evaluation purposes, which includes the components within the platform, such as SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence, SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management, SAP NetWeaver Mobile and SAP NetWeaver Portal.

The program also provides developer tools such as Web Dynpro and SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment, which utilize a simple drag-and-drop style of development and enable developers to create various types of customized user interfaces for SAP NetWeaver applications that can be based on either Java or ABAP.

"The SDN Subscriptions program heralds the next generation in co-innovation across the extended SAP ecosystem. This is one more way that SAP is meeting the growing demand for SAP NetWeaver from individuals and organizations of all sizes," said Zia Yusuf (pictured above), executive vice president, Global Ecosystem and Platform Group, SAP.