On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
There is the whois format used by all the other RIRs which is, I believe, based on RPSL. RIPE even makes their server freely available. Assuming that there is some kind of database behind SWIP and whois, it should not be that difficult for ARIN to switch to using the RIPE format for displaying answers to whois queries.
There is a long and occasionally sordid tale behind the history of various WHOIS server output formats. However, for ARIN's server specifically, assuming you want to change anything, you want to be making comments on ARIN's dbwg mailing list; see www.arin.net .
But in brief, RIPE NCC started up, developed their own. APNIC started up, lacked resources, used the RIPE NCC-developed server. ARIN started up some years later, inherited NSI's server + database, and kept on using it. LACNIC started up, and modified the .BR registry's WHOIS server to provide RPSL-like output. AFRINIC started up, and used the RIPE NCC-developed server. No-one was really interested in rwhois for ages ;)
-- Bruce Campbell
