VMware customers have launched a campaign to bring back a developer subscription similar to Microsoft's MSDN, and VMware officials are taking the request seriously.

The VMTN (VMware Technology Network) Subscription, which let developers use most VMware products for a $299 annual fee, gave developers the same type of deal Microsoft offers with the MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) subscription. But it was phased out a year after its summer 2005 launch. VMware said it was no longer necessary because of free products like VMware Server and VMware Player, and other offerings for ISVs and entry-level use, Virtualization.info reported at the time. By 2008, VMware made the core ESXi hypervisor free as well.

But some customers are saying that's not enough, and with VMware recently having to backpedal over vSphere licensing changes, a campaign to bring the VMTN subscription back may just be successful. Mike Laverick, an author of numerous guides to VMware software, took to VMware's community forum to ask CTO Stephen Herrod to consider reinstating the VMTN program. Customers piled on, with one saying "This would be awesome! I pay MS $250 a year for TechNet. I why can't I do the same with VMware?" and another commenting "Additionally this may very well drive down piracy (and the need thereof)!" The topic also began trending on Twitter.

Duncan Epping, principal architect for VMware's technical marketing group, took the message to heart and began internal discussions at VMware to investigate bringing the subscription back. "For those who have never heard of the VMTN Subscription program it was similar to MSDN and enabled you to run VMware software in your lab environment for a fixed yearly fee," Epping wrote in his personal blog. "Ever since the program was cancelled every now and then people asked for it to be reinstated. This time it is different, it is not a few people who are backing the request but so far the community thread has over 10 pages worth of comments and there are literally multiple new blog posts about this topic every day."

Epping says he brought the issue to management and got a reply within minutes. But he stopped short of promising the reinstatement of the program, and said even if it does come back, it will take a little while. "I am happy to be able to confirm that we are investigating the option to reinstate the VMTN Subscription program," Epping writes. "Keep in mind that starting a program like this does take time and the program will need a serious overhaul. As such I cannot make any promises on when this will happen." Given the current momentum, it's likely VMware customers will keep at it until they get their wish.