OpenCard

OCF, the OpenCard Framework is a standard Java framework for working with Smart Cards. It is developed by the OpenCard Consortium, a large industry consortium.

Smart Card Application Development Using Java by Uwe Hansmann et. al.

In today's world, smart cards play an increasingly important role in everyday life. We encounter them as credit cards, loyalty cards, electronic purses, health cards, and as secure tokens for authentication or digital signature. Their small size and the compatibility of their form with the magnetic stripe card make them the ideal carriers of personal information such as secret keys, passwords, customization profiles, and medical emergency information. This book provides a guide for the rapid development of smart card applications using Java and the OpenCard Framework. It gives you the basic information you need about smart cards and how they work. It shows in detail how to develop applications that use smart cards by guiding you through examples step by step. A smart card provided along with the book will help you to quickly get some first hands-on experience.

Write OpenCard services for downloading Java Card apps by Rinaldo Di Giorgio with special contribution from Mike Montgomery (January 21, 1999)

Loading Java Cards can be a confusing process requiring proprietary development tools that work on only one platform. Sun Microsystems is developing a standard in this area for Java Card licensees. But what do you do in the interim: wait for the standard or use proprietary tools? This article demonstrates easy methods for loading Java Cards using loading information published by various card manufacturers. It also shows you that Java Card development can be platform-independent and can make use of 100-percent-Java development tools. In this article, Rinaldo and guest contributor Mike Montgomery provide two card services for loading Java Cards -- one for Schlumberger's CyberFlex 16K and one for Dallas Semiconductor's Java iButton. (The latter has always supported cross-platform development.)

How to write a CardTerminal class for simple and complex readers in an OpenCard environment by Mike Wendler and Stephan Breideneich, with Rinaldo Di Giorgio (December 21, 1998)

In order to provide developers with a good library for developing card terminals, this month's Java Developer contributors offer two card terminal implementations: one that uses RS232 signals to control the reader and one that uses a packet protocol to send data back and forth to the reader, which decodes it and forwards it on to the card. (4,500 words)

Smart cards and the OpenCard Framework by Rinaldo S. Di Giorgio (February 24, 1998)

The OpenCard Framework provides programmers with an interface for the development of smart card applications in Java. Implementations of OpenCard can be 100% pure Java, or they can use existing card terminal implementations (a.k.a. smart-card readers) such as PC/SC. OpenCard differs from PC/SC in that it promises to provide a uniform application interface for building smart card applications on the emerging new platforms, such as network computers, phones, automatic teller machines, and cable TV boxes.

Welcome to OpenCard !

The OpenCard Framework provides a common interface for both the smart card reader and the application on the card. Basing the architecture on Java® technology has resulted in enhanced portability and interoperability, which are key to widespread adoption. The Version 1.0 reference implementation also enables interaction with existing Personal Computer/Smart Card (PC/SC) 1.0 supported reader devices. The consortium expects to see more advances in growth of smart card applications due to this more flexible infrastructure.

How to write OpenCard card services for Java Card applets by Thomas Schaeck with Rinaldo Di Giorgio (October 09, 1998)

Use different smart cards with the same application -- here's how!
OpenCard provides an API that allows different card readers, different platforms, and different Java Cards (as well as non-Java Cards) to be used by the same Java code with no change. With OpenCard you can run Java smart card applications in your office, on your set-top, and on your personal data assistant -- and, of course, on Windows platforms as well.

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created ~Jun/1998 -- last updated: 06/21/2002 -- http://www.pochendorfer.com/macchiato/opencard.html