diff -r fa9650e9ec23 -r 359baebcf0e8 whois/whois.py
--- a/whois/whois.py	Wed Mar 16 15:08:15 2016 +0100
+++ b/whois/whois.py	Wed Mar 16 15:18:36 2016 +0100
@@ -24,13 +24,20 @@
 OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
 THE SOFTWARE.
 """
+from __future__ import print_function
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+from __future__ import division
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from future import standard_library
+standard_library.install_aliases()
+from builtins import *
+from builtins import object
 import re
 import sys
 import socket
 import optparse
 
 
-
 class NICClient(object):
 
     ABUSEHOST = "whois.abuse.net"
@@ -90,7 +97,7 @@
             s.connect((hostname, 43))
             # end takes bytes as an input
             queryBytes = None
-            if type(query) is not unicode:
+            if type(query) is not str:
                 query = query.decode('utf-8')
 
             if hostname == NICClient.DENICHOST:
@@ -109,12 +116,12 @@
                     break
             s.close()
         except socket.error as socketerror:
-            print 'Socket Error:', socketerror
+            print('Socket Error:', socketerror)
             return ''
         else:
             nhost = None
             response = response.decode('utf-8')
-            if 'with "=xxx"' in response:
+            if b'with "=xxx"' in response:
                 return self.whois(query, hostname, flags, True)
             if flags & NICClient.WHOIS_RECURSE and nhost is None:
                 nhost = self.findwhois_server(response, hostname, query)
@@ -122,10 +129,11 @@
                 response += self.whois(query, nhost, 0)
             return response
 
+
     def choose_server(self, domain):
         """Choose initial lookup NIC host"""
-        if type(domain) is not unicode:
-            domain = domain.decode('utf-8').encode('idna')
+        if type(domain) is not str:
+            domain = domain.decode('utf-8').encode('idna').decode('utf-8')
         if domain.endswith("-NORID"):
             return NICClient.NORIDHOST
         pos = domain.rfind('.')
@@ -238,4 +246,4 @@
     options, args = parse_command_line(sys.argv)
     if options.b_quicklookup:
         flags = flags | NICClient.WHOIS_QUICK
-    print nic_client.whois_lookup(options.__dict__, args[1], flags)
+    print(nic_client.whois_lookup(options.__dict__, args[1], flags))