You should never use whois to check domain availability because it doesn't provide that information. Whois is designed to provide contact information for existing domains. Whois is only as accurate as the last time the registrar or registry updated it. For example, Verisign Registry updates their whois database once every 24 hours or so. If a domain was registered after the last whois update, it won't show up in whois but it is already taken, so when you go to register it, it won't be available.
Whois cannot provide real-time availability status. Registrars have a tool to check real-time availability and this is the tool you should be using. It only reports "taken" or "available". OpenSRS provides access to this via the "lookup" command in the API. On Thu, 25 Oct 2001, Jorge Biquez wrote: > Hello. > > OK. I agree. I have to use Opensrs WHOIS ALWAYS...but what's a concern is > that LOT of people is using NETSOL as their WHOIS and when they look for a > domain, they see is free, they come to you to register the domain maybe > next day and then you have to tell them that the domains is gone and that > now "their" idea will cost them "just some hundreds" more.....
