Reddit Won't Load For Me?

September 4, 2014 3:13 PM

I have the reddit app on my phone and enjoy reading it on occasion, but I've noticed that I cannot pull it up on my laptop (Macbook Pro). If I type in www.reddit.com, I get a blank screen. Not even a 404. This has been going on for months.

Hi there-

I have the reddit app on my phone and enjoy reading it on occasion, but I've noticed that I cannot pull it up on my laptop (Macbook Pro). If I type in www.reddit.com, I get a blank screen. Not even a 404.

I don't have an account there, have never posted a comment, or looked at anything f***ed up on there. So I can't imagine I'm being blocked for any reason.

Even if I search for reddit on Google and click the link- blank screen.

I can't seem to find anyone else having this occur online. I'm not a huge reddit reader, but would like to know why this is happening.

-tunewell

posted by tunewell to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Response by poster: More info: I'm using Safari, but I get the same result in Chrome and Firefox.

Firefox: "Connection Was Reset"

Chrome: "The web page is not available"
posted by tunewell at 3:31 PM on September 4, 2014

Any chance it's getting blocked by an app like Self Control or just through your hosts file? If you open up the terminal and type:

ping www.reddit.com

What does it return?
posted by backwards guitar at 3:40 PM on September 4, 2014

Response by poster: Last login: Thu Sep 4 11:33:44 on console
localhost:~ gbayne$ ping www.reddit.com
PING www.reddit.com (0.0.0.0): 56 data bytes
ping: sendto: No route to host
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 0
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 1
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 2
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 3
ping: sendto: No route to host
posted by tunewell at 3:46 PM on September 4, 2014

From the above: something has convinced your system that the IP address for reddit is 0.0.0.0.

Most likely it's listed in a hosts file on your computer, possibly though less likely, the answer could be being returned by a nameserver upstream from you that is trying to block unacceptable sites.

(from the looks of it, you're on a Unix-like operating system. Check /etc/hosts.)
posted by Nerd of the North at 4:17 PM on September 4, 2014

Is your Mac or router configured to use a DNS service like OpenDNS or Google? It may be blocking components of the page.
posted by davcoo at 6:03 PM on September 4, 2014

Gas Mask is a decent hosts file editor for the Mac. See if you've got something like:

0.0.0.0 www.reddit.com

In there somewhere. You're not using Little Snitch, or anything else that might have blocked it?
posted by backwards guitar at 9:16 PM on September 4, 2014

Try setting the DNS server for your laptop as 8.8.8.8 (Google) - see here: https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using

(A DNS server is where your laptop contacts to find out that www.reddit.com is 0.0.0.0 - which is wrong!)

If you're using a DNS server that has problems for whatever reason (most likely technical issues), it might be blocking parts of the page.
posted by Ashlyth at 1:24 AM on September 5, 2014

Response by poster: I am not a very technical person when it comes to servers and such so I'll try to see what I can do based on your instructions. This is the only site that is blocked every. I don't think I have "Little Snitch" or anything like that. Thanks for the advice!
posted by tunewell at 9:42 AM on September 5, 2014

If it is a Mac, check your Parental Settings. You do not have to be technical for that.
posted by PickeringPete at 9:32 AM on September 6, 2014

Response by poster: I changed my DNS server to 8.8.8.8 and I still could not access reddit.
I don't really know about how to edit DNS (someone mentioned Gas Mask?).

I mean I can live without Reddit but it just annoys me. Is there something else non-hardcore-technical I should try?

I don't believe it's a parental/security type deal because I can access nefarious other sites no problem.

Thanks.
posted by tunewell at 1:35 PM on September 6, 2014