Most web applications have a lot in common. Marmot is an attempt to integrate all of these common pieces into a framework that simplifies the process of creating a web application. Such common tasks as LDAP authentication/authorization, database access, and form validation are included. Instead of starting from scratch for each application, the developer needs only to write the business logic that makes the application unique.
Marmot also provides an advanced "presentation layer," by which the application's appearance is kept separate from its business logic. When a developer writes a Marmot application, he invokes generic methods that allow him to place content within a page layout framework provided by a "theme." If, later, a designer makes changes to the theme, those changes will be instantly reflected in all of the applications that make use of the theme, with no intervention required by the programmer. The presentation layer allows the programmer to focus on programming and the designer to focus on design.
Marmot is implemented in PHP. PHP was chosen because of its gentle learning curve, popularity, and price (or lack thereof).
Though Marmot is still in its infancy, it is already marvellously useful tool. In the future it will get even better.