Re:Thoughts from a toe-dipper (Score 1)

In some sense you are right.
There is no "standardized" set of "libraries" for
Common Lisp, as there are for "one-implementation"
languages like Perl and (to some lesser extent)
Python. This is a problem due to the fact
that CL standardization was done essentially in
pre-Internet-boom times, and that there are several
implementations. I'd say that the numerous complete CL implementations have been a (IMHO welcome) delaying factor in the appearance of standardized libraries.

Pretty much all the CL implementations do offer
socket libraries, what you lack is a standardized
one.

However, the CL community is well well aware of
this state of affairs and you can find more or less
centralized, embryonical CPAN-like sets of libraries.
Just check http://sourceforge.net/projects/clocc and http://sourceforge.net/projects/cclan.
Another very useful pointer (besides the always useful http://www.alu.org) is
http://ww.telent.net/cliki.

You can find all you need in these places and start using CL in the same way you would other languages.

Cheers