Obviously, the big companies will get 99% of them, but....is it possible to do it yourself? If I am going after 100 great names and get one I would be happy. Is that possible? Thanks
There are tools you can use to drop catch yourself. My software (DesktopCatcher) uses registrar API to automatically register on the drop. As you said, DropCatch/NameJet and the other big backorder outlets snatch quite a bit, but there are still people who catch names themselves everyday. The competition also varies from one extension to another. DesktopCatcher does have registrars which support a variety of extensions. Just let me know if you have any other questions!
That is not possible with any personal software. Only registrars/dropcatch services have the ability necessary.
It will never happen.
You can still get some valuable domains sometimes. But not any liquid domains. The demand between literally thousands of servers much faster is too great.
I have my own software that uses namesilo api. All you need is a namesilo account with funds and an api key. You can load a list of domains and press start.