(November 12, 2001) - IBM, Microsoft, and BEA face a new contender in the fast-emerging Web services market: German software powerhouse SAP.

The giant European software maker has this week taken its first step into Web services by announcing it will be introducing a new version of its Web Dynpro application server. The new version will enable companies to build Web services using their own proprietary technology or using Java - but not using Microsoft's proprietary development language.

SAP announced in New York this week, as already reported by JavaDevelopersJournal.com, that it will be providing connectivity, through Web services, to .Net applications. But by elevating Java to an equal status with its own proprietary programming language, ABAP, SAP is in reality spurning Microsoft since none of SAP's 14,000 customers will have the ability to develop .Net applications from scratch with Web Dynpro.

SAP will make all its existing and future business applications available as Web services, though much of this new Web services technology will be available only by next summer.