Abstract: A linking engine providing a process of matching the logic of an application, described in a application logic unit, with the hardware specific description of the application for use with applications run on smart card terminals. The hardware specific description of the application is contained in dictionaries. The linking engine tests dictionaries for compatibility with the application logic unit by running a process that returns a predetermined response only when the dictionary describes the hardware implementation used in the test. A dictionary outputting the correct response is linked by the linking engine to provide the description of the hardware implemented in running the logic of the application.