But how does it know when to take the snapshot? A clicked link can do all sorts of asynchronous things and Google is unaware when the new rendering is "finished".
When there are no outstanding HTTP requests, DOM events, CSS transitions or setTimeouts the page can be assumed to be rendered. Not all pages will enter this state, so some heuristics are likely used.
What you are describing is not possible with, for example, Phantom. HTTP request observation is, but AFAIK the others are not. I know it's likely that Google has something far more advanced / customized, but just wanted to point this out for anyone thinking about doing this themselves; it's a really hard problem to solve.
"Snapshot" also implies that Google search results are likely to get a lot more visual. The tone of the article made me feel that. Does a 'snapshot' imply imagery in U.S. English?
> Does a 'snapshot' imply imagery in U.S. English?
Not necessarily. For instance, I would talk about a "database snapshot", meaning a "backup of a database at a particular moment in time".
Obviously the word "snapshot" originates from photography, but to me, the connotation is much more "capture an exact copy at a moment" than "make an image".
(Unnecessary pedantry ahead.) Actually, it originates in hunting (fowling) and meant an opportunity shot taken without time to set up or consciously aim, relying on reaction time and trained instinct. In photography, it was a pejorative term applied to amateur photographs taken with essentially the same amount of thought and planning by people who owned those new Kodak gizmos that Mr. Eastman made, and it's pretty much retained that meaning.
