[iTunes] Re: Remove Duplicates Script

[Steve]

> Consider these two situations:
>
> -I have two file versions of the same song, which show up as duplicates
> because the have the same track name; they sound exactly the same to 
> me. But
> the files are from different CDs, or something; or they have been 
> imported
> at different bit rates; or one is a few tenths of a second shorter 
> than the
> other. How does the script know that one of these is OK to delete? 
> Under
> what circumstances would you think it OK for the *script* to decide 
> what
> gets deleted?
>
> -Two files which indeed are identical are represented in iTunes by 
> different
> track names. How does a script know to even consider these as duplicate
> files?

  In the second case, the most likely way 2 identical files were named 
with two different names, would be human error, and I don't think you 
can automate against that.

  In the first case *I* feel that if the song had the identical 
name,filename,file size,track length, even track number...etc, that it 
would be safe enough to delete.

  Thinking more about it, I would like a program that would look at the 
track names, then if say 20 to 30 percent of the track name of two 
files were similar, it would pop up a dialog. Here in a side by side 
comparison you could look at all the above criteria and decide for 
yourself.  Then you could add in the ability to listen to them both, in 
that dialog box.

Just a thought...,

Steve