Website loads in Windows but not in Linux

[ScottyK]

Greetings!

I'm running 22.04 on my main desktop, and I have a website that will not load. I switch to another machine that has OpenSUSE 15.5, and the website will not load there either. I switch to a notebook with Windows 11, and the website comes right up. The main desktop has VPN, I took it down, no effect. All the computers are hard wired (not using wifi). I go to my wife's desktop with Windows 10, the website comes right up. I open up a VM of Windows 7, the website comes up. Same VM program with Ubuntu 23.04, website won't come up. Is it possible for a website to be encoded not to load for for Linux, or a weird configuration on my part?

[Snowhog]

Is it possible for a website to be encoded not to load for for Linux

Possible? Yes. Windows has done just that in the past, and it isn't beyond the pale to believe they aren't doing so now. What is the URL in question?

[ScottyK]

habitnest.com

[claydoh]

The website creator is using something or otherwise coded it to work on certain browsers and operating systerms, for some stupid reason.
It works on both Chrome and Firefox on Android. Not at all on either in Linux.

You can get browser addons that change its user-agent string to report itself as a different browser and OS, there are many different ones available for most browsers. Some are simpler to use than others. Using one of these will work to allow the site to work, Though it may take trial and error.
A simple one I tried on FF I needed to set it to Chrome OS. Another popular but far more complex one I used one of the Windows/Chrome options, after being confused by its busy UI.

[claydoh]

Ok, the website is already sending me ads, and I never once entered an email address, or otherwise interacted with it in any way, other than loading it on a few different browsers/devices, with some of my extra privacy extensions disabled temporarily. Ooopsie.

[ScottyK]

Ok, so it's not just me. I've ordered things in the past, and when the next "How are we doing" email comes across, I'll let them know that I can't use linux, thus I'll take my business elsewhere. Thanks for checking for me!

[Goeroeboeroe]

I had a look at that site. If you disable css and images and JavaScript (all three!) the site loads. But probably doesn't work. I don't think I've ever seen a site with a code that was such a mess and had so many scripts, stylesheets, etc., etc.
I did'nt look into the code for a long time, but I found in some scripts they filter on user agent. With JavaScript you can filter on browsers, versions, operating systems, etc., if you look at the user agent. This method hasn't been used for years, because it is completely unreliable. But they even do something with Internet Explorer 6 and 7.
This site is very old or it has been made by somebody who, let's say it nice, should read at least one book less old the ten years about building sites.
I guess they simply didn't test it on Linux.
At least Google Chrome is phasing out the user agent string, so there's a chance the site stops working for a lot of people. (Not sure, depends how they test the user agent.)
Second thing I noticed: there are a lot of scripts etc. with something like 'ads' in the name. I don't think I would buy anything on that site...

[oshunluvr]

Just out of curiosity I attempted opening the site using IE from a Windows 8 VM and no-go.