it doesn't help that each implementation is half-baked, incomplete, and unmaintained after 16 months I couldn't agree more, that's the real problem with CL and

it doesn't help that each implementation is half-baked, incomplete, and unmaintained after 16 months I couldn't agree more, that's the real problem with CL and the reason why I keep using scheme and Racket. (Well, that and the antiquated package/unit systems with multiple options and caveats.) Just take a look at cross-platform user interface library bindings, there are seemingly plenty of options, but in the end they are all some sort of unmaintained hacks that may or may not work on some implementation/platform combo. Threading itself is another example, by the way. Almost any addition to the outdated standard is a mess that sometimes works, sometimes doesn't work. It's a pity, since CL implementations are of such a high quality (e.g. SBCL) and it offers everything a programmer can dream of.