History

In 1996, smart-card manufacturer Schlumberger demonstrated a card operating system to which it had added Java bytecode interpreter functions for a small number of methods. This initial implementation was very limited and involved an intermediate format, but it attracted considerable interest because it offered, for the first time, an opportunity for mainstream computer programmers to become involved in smart-card application development.

At the same time as Schlumberger was working on this development, Visa was working with Integrity Arts (a subsidiary of another smart-card manufacturer, Gemplus) to specify an ‘open’ smart-card operating system that could work on any manufacturer's card, permit the use of programmer-friendly development tools and allow applications to be downloaded to the card.

The two streams of activity together triggered Sun Microsystems to buy Integrity Arts and to endorse a specification for a Java implementation on a smart card, known as JavaCard 1.0, which drew on both efforts. Gemplus and Schlumberger joined with other smart-card companies to form the JavaCard Forum, which released the JavaCard 2.0 API at the end of 1997. This second release was considerably more detailed and allowed many more practical implementations.

However, even this version did not ensure portability of applications between smart-card platforms, and did not define in any detail the mechanisms for downloading applications to the card. To overcome these limitations, Visa published its Visa Open Platform specification in 1998, which defined mechanisms for secure applet download and on-card management.