The reason Lua has a small standard library is because making it substantially larger would undercut one of its major strengths. (Look at the difficulties peopl

The reason Lua has a small standard library is because making it substantially larger would undercut one of its major strengths. (Look at the difficulties people have with embedding Python.) There are quite a few semi-standard libraries (such as LPEG, LuaSocket, LuaDoc, lfs, Lanes, etc.), but they can evolve outside of the core language. It's always easier to add libraries than remove libraries people assume you have. If you want a "batteries-included" setup, there's Lua for Windows (http://luaforwindows.luaforge.net/ http://luaforwindows.luaforge.net/), LuaRocks (to automatically install packages), etc. I'm going to post several new/updated OpenBSD ports related to Lua once the ports tree is out of lock for release, too.