[ppml] Directory Services - Take 2

[bmanning at vacation.karoshi.com]

> >	(no that does not count the tweeks various folks have made to
> >	try and "standardise" the query type or return string... with
> >	only slightly more success than attempts to standardize the
> >	format of the DNS TXT rr type...)
> 
> Despite that, whois is heavily by all registries and rwhois is not 
> used for anything more then ip database access for some ARIN ISPs
> who do not want to swip their data directly to ARIN.

	and said RIR's could just as easily use finger or DNS
	for doing what they do w/ whois...
> >rWHOIS, on the other hand, is a decade or so younger than the venerable
> >	WHOIS... and is maintained and supported.  e.g.
> 
> Bill,
> 
> Arent you confused below about support and development of the protocol
> and support of the particular server/client implementation (considerd to 
> be reference implementation) of this protocol?

	you did see my comment (retained at the top of this posting,
	and not just to annoy bottom-feeding scumsuckers...)
	regarding protocol vs folks trying, occasionally with some
	desperation, to standardize a particular format for a query
	or its reply.  Just like the good folks who occasionally 
	try to fix/subtype fields in the DNS TXT rr's.

> There are lots and lots of whois servers (like say ripedb) that are 
> maintained as well and are updated a lot more often ...

	maintaining servers and updating data are not the same
	as a supported and maintained protocol... which was 
	Michaels claim. None of the RIRs, to my knowledge, have
	made a fundamental change in the whois protocol, they are just
	tweeking data formats.  It is instructive to go read the actual
	WHOIS specs.  So no, I'm not confused.

> -- 
> William Leibzon

--bill