Anandtech forums discrimintating against Linux users? YES, they are.

[VirtualLarry]

At least, that's what I figure. I had issues before, when the forums were going kind of slowly, but my Ubuntu laptop was taking literally like 5 minutes to load pages. Whereas, my Windows laptop was fine. Here's the kicker, it was only with AT forums, all other web sites were fine, on either machine.

I was, and am currently, running a Tomato router, with a HE.net IPv6 tunnel configured. Due to the tunnel, my IPv6 MTU is 1464.

All was fine with my Windows 7 64-bit machines, but I decided to install Linux Mint 17.1 on one of my Q9300 machines. I was having issues accessing AT forums on that box, until I changed the MTU on the wifi connection to 1464, then everything was mostly normal.

So my thought was, Path MTU Discovery is broken in Mint 17.1. Only... it's only broken with AT forums. So there may be a mis-configured router or server in the network path leading from here to the AT forums too.

Edit: Having the issue again. In fact, it just started around 10PM. That's what I remember from before. It would suddenly basically start hanging when loading AT forums, but it started at a certain time late in the evening.

The nexus of problems, revolves around: Linux, AT forums, late at night, and MTU settings.

I was able to just change the MTU for my wireless connection back to 1464, and like clockwork, the AT forums pages started to load up now. I had previously changed it back to automatic, because Newegg doesn't like to load all that well when I set an MTU other than Automatic.

Windows 7 machines don't have this problem, nor do other web sites for the most part. Only Linux, AT forums, and late at night.

Edit: I don't think it's the MTU. I started having the problem again, the last few days.

The only thing that I can figure, is that the forums are discriminating against Linux users.

The reason that I think that is, I installed VirtualBox-NonFree, and installed Windows 7 64-bit in a VM, and with the VM NIC set to "bridged" to my Linux wifi adapter - when the page loads are hanging on Linux, they are coming through speedily on Windows... inside Linux. So it's not a problem with the Linux network stack, is it?

I recall reading about on BF, the microsoftstore.com site, people trying to get in on deals and order, couldn't complete checkout with Firefox, but people running IE breezed on through.

Let me ask you this, does AT forums, use Linux or Microsoft servers / software?

 

[VirtualLarry]

To end AT Forum's discrimination against Linux users, install "user-agent switcher" for Firefox in Linux, download the complete list of user-agents, and spoof Firefox 35.0 for Windows 7.

Now the forums are snappy! Imagine that. Caught red-handed!

Edit: The difference feels much like going from a HDD to an SSD. Yes, it made THAT MUCH of a difference.

 

[soccerballtux]

ah yes, you'll need to remove your bits of non-free software that you're running if you want a native fix. /RMSarcasm


why'd you bother with ipv6?

also, funny thread title

 

[Ken g6]

I've been running Linux for years, and never had much trouble with this. No more than anyone else from what I could tell.

 

[Leros]

I've been running Linux for years, and never had much trouble with this. No more than anyone else from what I could tell.

Same. I access Anandtech from a variety of Linux devices with no problems.

I did once have problems accessing a Wordpress blog. Turns out there was some IP configuration parameter miscsonfigured inside my networking configuration.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, perhaps I spoke too soon, or they wisened up and are intentionally delaying pages with the modified user-agent string.

Either way, what seemed like a rock-solid fix isn't working anymore.

It's just really wierd how Linux Firefox web clients are having problems loading pages on THIS forum, and no other sites that I go to. Yet Windows 7 64-bit / Waterfox never have problems with this site.

It's not just the one Linux box, either.

Different versions of Linux, different client hardware, different routers. Same ISP connection though. But why would routing issues only affect Linux and not Windows?

 

[riahc3]

Dude, lay off the weed.

You must have some other configuration issue. It sounds like your router is filterting something.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It might be the Linux TCP timeout issue. According to a LKML post I found, they set the way Linux TCP connections time out, such that it would work for the Mars rover, and not time out pre-maturely. It's just wierd, that it only seems to affect this forum.

Linux + AT Forums == teh suck!

Linux + all other sites == no problems.

Windows 7 / Waterfox + AT Forums == smooth ride.