Do I really need to avoid transferring apps with Migration Assistant?

I have a new MacBook Pro coming, will be transferring from a 17” PowerBook G4. I’ve been reading various threads here about using MA and I see two basic approaches:
1. Use MA to transfer everything but your applications, then install those manually. This is said to “avoid problems” going from a PowerPC computer to an Intel one.
2. Those who let MA move everything, then delete those apps that don’t run, and upgrade those that need it.
Maybe I've missed it but I've yet to find people having problems who moved their apps. I’ve got some haxies I know won’t run without being upgraded, but I think just about everything else I've got is as current as it gets (most of my apps are already running in Universal).
I want my new machine’s performance to be as fast as possible, so if using MA to move the apps will screw it up then I'll go through the hassle of manually installing them. But man, it’s something I'd sure like to avoid if possible.
Does anyone have any clear perspective and experience on this one way or the other? I’m not talking about hypothetical, theoretical concerns but has anyone moved their apps via MA and messed their system up? Is this a real risk or a remote, theoretical one?

Does that mean I'm not using MA for any of it?
Correct.
So would it be safe to move my entire library folder under my username except for the preferences subfolder?
In actual fact there are plenty of folders in the Library folder which you can skip altogether. If you carefully look in your Library folder many of them that aren't require will be rather apparent such as Caches.
What you might want to do is to copy the entrire Library folder to your desktop and pick and choose items you need as you need them.
I have no clue where things like address book entries are stored, so I'm assuming stuff like that is somewhere in my user structure.
Yes. Specifically your address book is located…
~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook
Mail is a combination of…
~/Library/Mail
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
iCal is…
~/Library/Application Support/iCal
Safari…
~/Library/Safari
Keychain(s)…
~/Library/Keychains
Beyond that lot there's little else you're going to need out of the Library folder.

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