Typically, you create a MIDlet with an IDE, such as Eclipse or Sun NetBeans, and run it on the SDK.
You can run the MIDlet on the SDK with direct loading or over-the-air (OTA) provisioning. Direct loading is the default. Directly loading a MIDlet
Provides a faster, less restrictive environment in which to test and debug MIDlets during the early phases of development
Lets you develop a MIDlet from within an IDE during which you edit and compile code and immediately display the results on the SDK.
Is a good way to test how a user runs a MIDlet that is already loaded on a device.
OTA Provisioning runs the MIDlet file through the JAM. Provisioning a MIDlet can be more constraining but truer to what a user experiences when using a device. Provisioning a MIDlet:
Lets you test how a user downloads a MIDlet from an Internet site.
Provides MIDlet validation – a series of integrity checks that ensure the SDK can run the MIDlet. Based on the information in the JAD file, the JAM on the SDK determines whether the SDK can run the MIDlet.
Saves the MIDlet in the computer file system, so it will be there the next time you start the SDK instance.
The following table provides a comparison of running a MIDlet on the SDK with OTA provisioning and direct loading:
| MIDlet trait | Direct loading | OTA provisioning |
| MIDlet installed in the SDK instance’s Applications folder | No | Yes |
| Maximum size of JAD file | 10240 bytes (10KB) | 10240 bytes (10KB) |
| Maximum size of JAR file | 2MB (maximum value) 2MB (default value) Value can be changed in Tools>Preferences>MIDP | 2MB |
| Maximum MIDlet data size | 1MB | 1MB |
For more information, see:
Java Developer’s Library > Getting Started with Mobile Java (Java Developer's Library)