Ask HN: Review my idea (CCDB)
1 comments
Are you viewing this as a hobby, or as a business idea?
As a hobby (or learning project), I'd say: sure, go for it, have fun.
If you're planning on monetizing it, well.....
As a hobby (or learning project), I'd say: sure, go for it, have fun.
If you're planning on monetizing it, well.....
What? YC funds an startup that does exactly that: http://octopart.com/
Yup, you might be interested in checking out our part search API: http://octopart.com/api .
In general there a some hard parts to component search:
- getting complete and accurate data
- setting up a system to store that data in a smart way
- setting up search on arbitrary attributes (text and numbers)
- creating a UI on top of all that
We've been working on the problem of part search for the past few years and we'd be happy to talk.
In general there a some hard parts to component search:
- getting complete and accurate data
- setting up a system to store that data in a smart way
- setting up search on arbitrary attributes (text and numbers)
- creating a UI on top of all that
We've been working on the problem of part search for the past few years and we'd be happy to talk.
Wow. I didn't see that. That is almost exactly what I want. It doesn't seem to do computer components specifically but it could definitely be adapted into one or have the capability added later.
As a hobby and a valuable tool for my "business" of custom builds. A Newegg partnership/acquisition/sponsorship would be nice though.
The CCDB is a crowdsourced database of computer components, their specifications, reviews, and average price across retailers. Newegg, my favorite electronics/components retailer does not provide a good interface for searching for parts. Even their "Power Search" tool does not let me perform complex searches, such as this, which would have been very helpful when I was searching for components for my build:
The CCDB has a search interface that can support the query described above. Rather than sorting just by price or speed or any other parameter, it constructs a "favorability quotient" which is calculated based on a user-supplied formula, which it then sorts by. After listing all the parts that fit the criteria, it takes, for example, this product: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145261 and sort it like this:
+3 for parameter 1 x 1 +1.625 for parameter 2 x .05 -2 for parameter 3 x -.5 to give a favorability quotient of 2.625.
This is definitely for power users, but I might find a way of simplifying it (Measy-style perhaps) for average system builders.
I am learning Django, and I came up with this idea while doing so. I don't want to fire up any Django vs Ruby on Rails debates, but I need to know if there are any important reasons why Django would not work for this idea.