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A Java Card is, technically,
a smart card that is capable of running Java programs.
The detailed information for building the Java Card
virtual machine and Application Programming Interface
(API) in smart cards can be found in Java Card 2.0 specification.
The lifetime of Java Cards starts when the native OS,
Java Card VM, API classes libraries and optionally,
applets are burned into ROM. The whole process of writing
the permanent components into the non-mutable memory
of a chip for carrying out incoming commands is known
as masking. Before a Java Card reaches the user,
it goes through initialization and personalization.
Initialization means loading general data into a card's
non-volatile memory, and this data is identical across
a large number of cards and is not specific to an individual.
Personalization, the next step, entails assigning a
card to a person. It can happen through physical personalization
or through electronic personalization. While physical
personalization refers to embossing or laser engraving
the name and card number on the plastic surface of a
card, electronic personalization refers to loading personal
data into a card's non-volatile memory. The Java
Card is ready for use at this point. A Java Card
remains active until it is expired or blocked due to
an unrecoverable error.
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