Web connection OS/Browser Dependent?

[Bob Duncan]

The problem described below seems to have cured itself this morning
(wouldn't you know...), but I'd still like to know what was going on if
anyone has any insights.

For the last week (?) or so, no machine in our library (to my knowledge)
could get past "Connect. Host http://etc. contacted. Waiting for reply..."
when attempting a connection to Alta Vista. (It was happening *just* with
Alta Vista, no other often-contacted sites I can recall.) I tried on Win95
and Mac machines; using Communicator4.01, Navigator4.03, and IE3.0; at
various times of the day; and trying different versions of Alta Vista's
URL. All to no avail: the wheels appeared to be spinning, but nothing
happened. (I made sure to try links from other pages, including Digital's,
so bad typing could safely be ruled out. And getting to Alta Vista's
Australasian and European mirrors was not a problem.) 

On a lark I mosied on over to our remaining Win3.1 machines (still running
Netscape 3.x), and---lo and behold---they had no problem---connection was
practically instantaneous. Could there have been something going on at Alta
Vista which was dependent on the version of OS and/or browser in use? Or
with the manner in which IP addresses are assigned? (It seems our newer
machines (the Win95ers) have dynamic IP addresses and the older ones are
static.)

I queried Alta Vista, but received no response (big surprise there). Any
insight would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Bob Duncan


  ~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~
  Robert E. Duncan
  Reference/Instruction Librarian
  David Bishop Skillman Library
  Lafayette College
  Easton, PA  18042
  duncanr at lafayette.edu
  http://www.lafayette.edu/faculty/duncanr/