[Development] Common base class for all socket types

[d3fault]

You want to obey a randomly declared 'feature-freeze' and decline a
SUPERIOR re-design that can only take place during BC breakages? It's
not like it'd be that hard to implement. Sure, we're in a feature
freeze.... but that's nothing compared to a 'BC promise' that 5 will
set in stone.

<*insert holy war argument here*>

d3fault