Java Card is a programming platform for smart cards and small devices. It is well-suited for limited memory and processing power environments, such as some cell phones. The language is compatible with almost any device and has security features to safeguard sensitive information.
The Java Card application programming interface is a platform designed to create applications for smart cards and smart card devices. In addition to smart card-related programming, Java Card is well-suited for building applications on a variety of small-footprint, low-memory devices, such as some types of cell phones. These small applications work much like larger Java® programs; a virtual machine establishes a base environment, and then Java® code runs within it. The only real difference between standard Java® and a Java Card system is size and a handful of features that have yet to be implemented.
Java Card was originally released in 1996. At that time, the only use of the technology was in smart card based systems. Over time, the number of small computing platforms has increased. Now this system is used on a variety of devices that operate with platform limitations similar to a smart card system.
The language is well suited for an environment with very limited memory and processing power. Most smart card systems use a fixed environment; outside of special equipment, it is very difficult to put a program on or off the card. These environments are often extremely limited in terms of available resources, which makes for a perfect language.
The most common secondary location for Java Card is on mobile phones. Most modern smartphones actually have enough memory and power to run more advanced Java® platforms, so card systems are often limited to older smartphones or dumbphones. A small selection of other devices use Java Card technology, primarily those that use add-on cards or memory cards for additional programming.
Most Java® systems work the same way, regardless of intended platform or overall size. A virtual machine creates an emulated environment on the target device. The Java® program runs within that environment with little regard for the actual hardware of the system. The installation of the virtual machine is different on each platform, but the inner workings are not. As a result, the same application can be run on a variety of computers or devices without any conversion.
The primary goals of the Java Card language are compatibility and security. This language is designed to be compatible with almost any device that wants to use it. This is usually done through individually coded virtual machines. Once the hardware virtual machine is up and running, applications are relatively easy to port.
The second main goal is to create a secure program and platform. Because intelligent systems often contain sensitive information, language has a variety of methods for safeguarding that information while it’s in use. These methods range from internal application firewalls to multiple forms of encryption.
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