Nowadays, whenever you use WHOIS command doesn't return any usefully information. I usually have to go to Godaddy, Dnsstuff or other services to get the data. I understand the reason is mostly due to spamming.
I was just wondering how other services get this data. Do they use different type of WHOIS command?
Bare-naked whois stopped returning complete records when Network Solutions was no longer the only place to register domains. Now it functions more like DNS, where something gives you a place to look for authoritative information, and you have to go look there if you want it.
To wit:
% whois stackoverflow.com
[Querying whois.verisign-grs.com]
[whois.verisign-grs.com]
...
Domain Name: STACKOVERFLOW.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
...
% whois [email protected]
[Querying whois.godaddy.com]
[whois.godaddy.com]
...
Registrant:
Stack Overflow Internet Services, Inc.
1010 Disk Drive
...etc...
The other services are in the business of registering domains and get their information from their domain registrants.