SVG Screenshots

Body: 

An advanced form of screenshot could be formed through the use of raw windowing data, SVG and ECMA script allowing for rudimentary interactivity.

Details

The operating system has direct or indirect access to a number of sources of raw and scalable data relating to the currently visible (and obscured) screen. This data could potentially be saved in an SVG file and function in a similar fashion to traditional screenshots but retain rendered accuracy throughout resizes. Controls that rely on rendered bitmap data instead would be embedded as binary data or linked into the SVG document.

In addition to this user visible graphical data the system would save small amounts of other graphical and usability data. All obscured windows, tabs and other such GUI containers would have their data output to SVG in addition to the main visible set. This would be augmented by the addition of small amounts of ECMA scripts that would enable use of the GUI, restricted to non executable functionality. Eg, changing tabs, dragging windows. This would enable the creation of interactive screenshots.

Issues

  • Is there enough sources of raw data for this to occur?