This directory is provided by the sipb.mit.edu Gopher server, for
querying whois servers throughout the Internet.

The whois servers are those on the list available via anonymous FTP in

   sipb.mit.edu:/pub/whois/whois-servers.list

This file can also be retrieved via Gopher by selecting "original
whois list file". It's in the same directory as the file you're now
reading. The other items in this directory allow you to search for
names in individual whois servers. When prompted for a "search string"
or "keywords", you usually should type in the lastname of one person.

Actually, we lied. There are a few other items in this directory with
names that are ALL UPPER CASE, mostly just to break up the monotony.

The list file, at the bottom, goes on to discuss topics like "what is
whois?" and "what am I supposed to get out of this?", which may be
helpful if you're just starting out. If you're only looking for more
servers to query, though, it won't help: whenever the list is edited,
the data file used by our Gopher server also gets rebuilt.

If you'd like to distribute the list elsewhere, please include a
reference to its maintainer and source, e.g.,

   -- please send updates to Matt Power <mhpower@athena.mit.edu>
   -- This is derived from a listing available via anonymous FTP
      in sipb.mit.edu:/pub/whois/whois-servers.list

For example, if you're redistributing the list as a directory on your
own Gopher server, you could include this reference in a description
or overview file, or provide access to the whois-servers.list file
itself, somewhere in the same directory or a nearby directory.


Problems with the whois-server information should be reported to:

    bug-whois@sipb.mit.edu

Please don't send questions of the form "Is there a whois server at
<some site>?" If our Gopher server has no entry for a certain site,
then we don't know of a publicly accessible whois server there. Also,
please limit your questions to the topic of whois service. Obviously,
there are many organizations on the network that don't operate whois
servers; however, we aren't collecting information about those here.
.