Systems and methods for automatically detecting desktop applications to access content when multiple access options are available

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• receive a link to content served by a remote server;
• detect activation of the link;
• in response to detecting activation of the link, attempt to load a passive mixed content item from a local web server, the passive mixed content item comprising an image;
• determine whether the passive mixed content item successfully loaded;
• and
• in response to determining the passive mixed content item successfully loaded:
• extract installed application information from the passive mixed content item;
• determine whether or not the installed application information extracted from the passive mixed content item indicates a relevant installed desktop application, the relevant installed desktop application being an installed application that is capable of accessing the content referenced by the link from a remote application server;
• and
• in response to determining the installed application information extracted from the passive mixed content item does indicate a relevant installed desktop application, access the content referenced by the link from the remote application server using the relevant installed desktop application.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

• receive a link to content served by a remote server;
• detect activation of the link;
• in response to detecting activation of the link, attempt to load a passive mixed content item from a local web server, the passive mixed content item comprising an image;
• determine whether the passive mixed content item successfully loaded;
• and
• in response to determining the passive mixed content item has successfully loaded:
• extract installed application information from the passive mixed content item;
• determine whether or not the installed application information extracted from the passive mixed content item indicates a relevant dedicated desktop application, the relevant dedicated desktop application being an installed application that is capable of accessing the content referenced by the link from a remote application server;
• and in response to determining the installed application information extracted from the passive mixed content item does indicate a relevant dedicated desktop application, access the content referenced by the link from the remote application server using the relevant dedicated desktop application.