What is the fastest way to transfer files and applications from an older iMac to a new MacBook Pro?

What is the fastest way to transfer files and applications from an older iMac to a new MacBook Pro?
I have a Firewire cable and Thunderbolt adapter, but no icons showing either Mac appear on either desktop.

The fastest way is to use Carbon Copy Cloner and a external drive formatted GUID OS X Ext. J in Disk Utlilty, then connecting to the new Mac and using Migration Assistant in the Utilites folder.
Even faster, if you can determine your going to replace all the apps from fresh sources anyway (like if the older Mac's OS X verison is old thus the apps) then just use a external drive and copy just your files to it, then connect to the new Mac and transfer over.
Some apps you can just grab the registration code and install it fresh on the new machine with the old code, talk to the developer about transfering the program, as long as it's deleted on the older Mac in the process.
It used to be Firewire Target disk mode was fastest, but since Thunderbolt came out...
Notice this support doc hasn't been updated since june 2012, no Thunderbolt info
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661

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1. The best way to transfer files from another computer is by using Migration Assistant > http://pondini.org/OSX/SetupLion.html Your new MacBook Pro will ask you to restore from another computer during its initial setup.
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What is the fastest way to transfer files and applications from an older iMac to a new MacBook Pro?

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