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.
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 (or learning project), I'd say: sure, go for it, have fun.
If you're planning on monetizing it, well.....