Computerworld Singapore: Linux Meets Smart Cards

“With the development of smart cards technology mirroring that
of the PC development, Linux is also beginning to appear as a
contender on the smart card frontier as well. According to Wang
Jiping, chief technology officer of China MobileSoft, Linux is
gaining even greater traction and penetration for the embedded
systems market than the PC market.

“Wang, who was speaking at the recent Gemplus Developer
Conference, believes that Linux will soon be appearing in every
type of information device, especially small mobile devices. And as
the usage of smart cards proliferates, consumers will be using
portable computers with smart cards to access the Internet and to
engage in ecommerce. Eventually, the smart card will be important
as a means for security and as a repository for personal
information. A real life example of applications that have crossed
over to smart card technology with Linux is the Simputer, which is
a Linux-enabled handheld device.

“Wang believes that smart card-based applications in Linux
computers are a very attractive proposition. The smart card can
store information about a person’s attributes and preferences that
would allow the computer or network to automatically identify the
user and configure the computer to the user’s preferences…”

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