Brooders

Finally, I got a few hours to play around with the API docs that Alibris sent me. As mentioned earlier, I have created a beta book search engine. Slowly, it will grow to have all the features I use elsewhere, plus a few more. The integration started with the usual effort of signing up for an affiliate program. Then, if you want an API you have to email a request, but they were quick to respond (within 24 hours). A couple of hours later it’ s working and integrated.

Anyway .. When using the Beta Book Search, results for a specific item will now search for new and used prices at Alibris.

Next .. need to work on price ordering, results from amazon (not just the side link), and getting the API from AbeBooks.

Sealand was Wikipedia’s featured article for 28 Dec 2005. Sealand is a small self-declared micronation, which houses the Hosting and IT company HavenCo. Years ago when I was a more frequent buyer of wired magazine, I found out about this in the article Welcome to Sealand. Now Bugger Off.

According to the Wikipedia article, HavenCo is similiar to the datahaven described in the novel Cryptonomicon. While it’s an interesting concept, similiar to the offshore bank accounts and tax havens, the CTO and the Owners of SeaLand disagreed over management of HavenCo. There was also talk that they did not seem to be able to provide reliable bandwidth for the co-location facility.

Great idea .. however a few years after it inception there were stories like “Has ‘haven’ for questionable sites sunk?”” emerging. Ryan Lackey, co-founder for HavenCo was citing difficulties with connectivity and the management of the facility.

It all seems to have faded into obscurity.

OK .. I am trying to “Write software I need“, or in this case want, but there are plenty of other book search/comparison sites out there. In the interest of trying to invent a better mousetrap, take a look a the Beta Book Search.

Yes .. it’s simple,
Yes .. it doesn’t compare other stores yet,
Yes .. I link to another comparison site,
Yes .. it searches amazon,
But .. it is the start.

I have mentioned before that I like buying books online, So I thought, how hard could it be to write one of these things ?

Short answer .. What you see is probably the best part of 20 hours. By the time you join up to amazon, write some templates, muck with CSS, parse some XML, sort results, muck with CSS again .. it starts to add up. It is nice to get my hands dirty on a little project.

Anyway, I have started to use it. Seems to work ok, working on getting API access to AbeBooks and Alibris. Then I’ll be able to compare prices.