NWDI & the Java Component Model

Why can't SAP NWDI just be described as "the Java IDE for AS Java"?

Do you need a separate NWDI system for each release and Support Package Stack you develop for?

Why does SAP recommend a three-system landscape (DEV/QAS/PRD) for Java development rather than developing straight against production?

A colleague says the Change Management Service (CMS) is the newest transport tool for Java development. What's wrong with that?

What core idea did SAP borrow from the ABAP world to design NWDI, and what problem does it fix?

In NWDI, what exactly does a developer "log on to" when they pick a development configuration, and what does it get them?

Two NWDI services are easy to confuse: which one versions source code, and where is that source physically stored?

What is the Component Build Service (CBS) responsible for, and what are its three core functions?

In SAP's Java component model, how do development components, software components, releases, and products stack up?

An SDA and an SCA are both NWDI archive files. Which one holds a single development component, and which holds a whole software component?

Before NetWeaver 7.3, Change Management (CM) Services always needed a CTS system behind them. At what release did that stop being mandatory?

The DTR versions source and the CBS builds it — so what job is left for Change Management (CM) Services in the NWDI landscape?

Which tool configures System Landscape Directory (SLD) data supply on an AS Java system — and why does the answer depend on the release?

A developer checked their change in to the Design Time Repository (DTR) but a teammate still sees the old code. Is that a bug, and what makes the change visible?

In the Development Configuration UI, the System Landscape Directory (SLD) URL and Change Management (CM) Services user/password fields are greyed out. Where do you actually change them?

You just installed AS Java and see the directory <sapmnt>/<SID>/SYS/global/sld. Is the SLD ready to use?

In the Java EE build/assembly/deploy chain, who typically performs the deployment of the finished EAR, and why that role?

You are standing up NWDI to manage development for a SAP NetWeaver Portal 7.3 landscape. Should NWDI run on the Portal 7.3 system itself?

Why does the System Landscape Directory (SLD) need a Name Server for NWDI development, and what would go wrong without it?

What kind of application is the System Landscape Directory (SLD) server, and how do clients talk to it?

How do AS ABAP-based systems feed their data to the System Landscape Directory (SLD), and does the same mechanism apply to AS Java systems?

How many Design Time Repository (DTR) workspaces and Component Build Service (CBS) buildspaces are tied to a single development configuration?