Should shortname be the same on new computer?

Question

I'm upgrading to a new macbook pro. does the shortname have to be the same as the old machine if I want everything intact? I plan to move the files manually and not use the migration assistant. I will be installing the same apps and would want to preserve the settings/preferences. Usually I do this by copying the old .plist files of the apps i'm installing into the new machine.
will everything work okay if my 'shortname' is different?

Answer 1

You can't migrate a user account with the same name using migration assistant. It will tell you that when you try and ask you to migrate a different user.
Setup assistant is a different application that runs when you first turn on your new computer. It's a much better choice to transfer your information and will probably give you the least trouble. You will have options to choose a network drive, external drive, or another computer using target disk mode for the transfer.
That's your best option to copy your user account and applications if you desire from your old computer. That way you will have the same account info as the old. Just make sure you have it ready to go before starting up the new and know which method your going to use.
If you set up your new computer first and create an account, it may not have the same shortname as the old. As long as you can access the files that you've backup to an external drive and they are not protected, you can copy them to the new user folder. It's not a problem. If it's a different user account on the same computer, usually you won't have access to the files. If you copy the files to an external drive, you shouldn't have a problem accessing them.
If your old computer is running without problems, you can allow file sharing on the old computer, access it with the new, and copy files from the old computer to your new computer. That will also work very well. Since the old is giving permission to access it's files, you won't have a problem copying from your old user account to the new. Just don't copy the main user folder itself. Copy everything needed from within your old user folder to the new user folder. You can verify the permissions on the copied files and fix them if necessary very easily as I said before in the previous post.
If you're not using Setup Assistant, I would just copy the files needed from my old user account and reinstall all other applications manually. I would not copy over any other settings. That way I would be sure not to transfer any garbage left over from an old system. Copying applications manually or with migration assistant and then changing users will definitely give you permission problems with the applications you've installed.