cblaisd

I'm sure there is a more correct terminology, but increasingly I find that some websites "double load." E.g., when I go to AA.com or Hertz.com the site comes up and then 2 seconds later the whole site reloads (and if you've already started typing something on the site, it's gone).

Is this a feature and not a bug? Why? Or is it somehow related to my own browser configuration?

A mild curiosity....

CPRich

I have the same problem with one of my brokerage accounts. I used to start typing my id, tab, password, only to look up and see my password going into the id box in clear text. I've learned to wait until it reloads. It only happens on one browser, so I assume it's a configuration/add-on/etc. issue.

I don't see it on aa.com

Need

Heh you sure you were not being redirected to a different site? Have you tried clearing your cookies for that site? For the longest time, my paypal will default to Chinese. It happened ever since I visited Paypal in Hong Kong on my laptop. I guess the cookie remembers it and wouldn't let it go. I clear all cookies with the word "paypal" in it and everything was fine after that. I think it does do some kind of double loading.. like redirecting me to the Hong Kong server or something.

cblaisd

1. Yes
2. No, but I will.

Thanks

backprop

I've seen this in many different manifestations and I think it might be the work of poor programming. Often there will be an initial load where it delivers the full content (as you see), but whatever framework they're using doesn't know or set the flag that the content was already loaded, so it triggers the framework to load all the content again via ajax. It's usually the result of outsourcing to the lowest bidder, sorry to say

choster

I think a lot comes down to the limitless impatience of web surfers, especially on mobile. Back in the day, web pages were less dynamic, and a browser would load all the code, figure out how it was going to lay out, and draw it. But studies have shown again and again that people will wait for a website that twitches for five seconds while it loads, whereas they won't wait for a website that is blank for three seconds (actual figures vary by study, but it really is about the first three seconds, especially on mobile devices).

Nowadays, the browser starts drawing the page just as soon as it gets the tiniest scrap of layout information. The website supplies the tiniest scrap of layout information first, then spits out sidebars, forms, and so forth. This results in a lot of redraws and repaints and other adjustments, especially on older devices. Facebook was a big leader in this; Google for "Facebook BigPipe."

Second, also in the interest of increasing perceived speed, they're backloading a lot of scripts. If you look at the source of the AA.com homepage, a huge percentage of it is actually scripts that read and send data to Tealium, Google Analytics, and OpenX, the last of which then loads ads. Sometimes, the scripts directly trigger a refresh of the page, either to submit values or to retrieve them, though that's rather primitive. Even if you're doing it in the background, though, loading third party code could also trigger a redraw depending on its dimensions and so forth.

tmiw

I've started seeing that more often since I upgraded my MacBook Pro to Sierra. I'm not sure why, to be honest, but at least it's nowhere near every website.

chx1975

CIBC does this too. According to Devtools it's some Adobe Market Targeting crap which initiates the jarring redirect.

Bigpipe style adjusting is not what we are talking about, that doesn't lose the typed in info. It's a full-page redirect.

Wilbur

And for those users with various types of ad reduction applications, the blocking of any of that Tealium / GA / OpenX will interfere with the values that the merchant site expects, so it signals a reload.

HDQDD

I've always thought it was the opposite. When 3rd party JS gets blocked, it messes with the site's calls/timing.

I block third party JS by default, and I still get this behavior on some pages. The DL site used to do this (but then they changed the login screen). Marriott seems to redraw the login after I have lastpass put my info in (so I have to do it again). I've seen various other sites do this as well.

Minor annoyance, but you would think they'd catch that stuff in test.

Ditto

Never happened to me with hertz.com, I don't use aa.com.
Either way, I wouldn't call that a feature...

nmenaker

sometimes the http S framework is the last thing to load. I only find this with sites that have logins and are using ultimately https://

sometimes there is a 2nd level of certificate validation that occurs.. so the site couldn't be hijacked with an old or malicious cert

Dan98

Here is a good tip if you are using Google Chrome for iOS/Android/Desktop

Access chrome://flags in the address bar, search with Ctrl+F for "Scroll Anchoring" (without quotes) and Enable it.

davie355

I whitelisted AA.com on my ad blocker and the double loading went away, although I'm not sure if that was really the cure.

PFSHero

I have loaded both sites but I see no problem with that. Great point, @choster. He's right how websites were downloaded. Usually, styles are loaded first before the content. With regards to the problem, there might be some errors on the browser. I always clear the browser history after hours of heavy browsing and I always keep the settings in standard. I'm also not fond of injecting browser extensions. I have the same experience before, until I keep my settings on default which solved the problem.