Editors Note: This article is an introduction to FuseBox. Look for a full featured article on FuseBox in the coming month.

FuseBox is a standards group for the ColdFusion Mark Up Language, created by and for ColdFusion developers. FuseBox is the podium used to unite developers behind common practices and ideas to further aid in the development of useful programming solutions for everyone. While still in its infancy, this group is researching and developing methods for application developers to create applications that will easily connect to other third party applications.

These applications should allow for quick and easy alteration of the end display as well as provide a mechanism for incorporating other applications to share similar tasks. An example of such could be incorporating security, file uploads, and group management, all created by different developers at different times. The end result is a compilation of several applications without having to learn the style and intention of each developer, or having to re-code whole segments of the applications in order for them to work together.

Updates to the current specs are available on a continual basis. Group meetings with CF developers from around the world are held on a semi-frequent basis. Based on these meetings, the specs grow to fit the needs of application developers and the CF programmers who will be putting the applications to work. With the overwhelming support FuseBox has already received from the CF community and CF related companies, there is no doubt that FuseBox will help shape the future of CF and the Web.

Please be a part of this development. Stop by the FuseBox Web site to learn more. Announcements of FuseBox meetings (held via ICQ) will be posted there, as well as transcripts of past meetings. FuseBox's own forum and list-serve are also available.