Systems and methods for viewing incompatible web pages via remote browser instances

A system, comprising:

• at least one processor circuit;
• and
• at least one memory that stores program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor circuit, the program code comprising:
• a tab manager configured to:
• receive a request at a first browser to navigate to a first page;
• and
• determine that the first page is incompatible with the first browser and compatible with a second browser;
• an application programming interface of the first browser configured to:
• send an invocation request to a virtual machine to invoke an instance of the second browser executing on the virtual machine, the virtual machine executing on a remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to the at least one processor circuit via a network;
• issue, by the first browser to the second browser via the network, a navigation request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) of the first page;
• receive content of the first page displayed by the instance of the second browser and status information associated with the first page, the status information associated with the first page being received separately from the content of the first page;
• and
• receive a second URL from the second browser via the network, the second URL corresponding to a second request received at the second browser to navigate from the first page to a second page at the second URL, the second browser executing on the virtual machine having determined that the second page is compatible with the first browser;
• and
• a render engine configured to render the received content and the status information received from the second browser in an open browser window of the first browser, the status information being reflected by a user interface element utilized by the first browser and to render the second page.

A computer-readable storage medium having program instructions recorded thereon that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, perform a method, the method comprising:

• executing a first browser on the computing device, the first browser having an open browser window;
• receiving a request at the first browser to navigate to a first page;
• determining that the first page is incompatible with the first browser and compatible with a second browser;
• sending, by the first browser to a virtual machine, an invocation request to invoke an instance of the second browser executing on the virtual machine, the virtual machine executing on a remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to the computing device via a network;
• issuing, by the first browser to the second browser via the network, a navigation request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) of the first page;
• receiving content of the first page displayed by the instance of the second browser and status information associated with the first page, the status information associated with the first page being received separately from the content of the first page;
• rendering the received content and the status information in the open browser window, the status information received from the second browser being reflected by a user interface element utilized by the first browser;
• receiving a second URL from the second browser via the network, the second URL corresponding to a second request received at the second browser to navigate from the first page to a second page at the second URL, the second browser executing on the virtual machine having determined that the second page is compatible with the first browser;
• and
• rendering the second page by the first browser.