[X-Newbies] Re: Home Folder Name

[Charles Martin]

> From: Al Poulin <alpoulin at cox.net>
>
> It appears that I can change the name of my home folder in the Users
> folder.  Is this safe to do?  Or would this cause problems with
> passwords or in networking with other Macs?

Let me put it this way, Al -- we make A LOT of money at our Mac  
repair shop straightening the damage out when people do this.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST YOU ***EVER*** CHANGE THE NAME OF YOUR  
HOME FOLDER!!!

It is a HUGE flaw that Apple lets (admin) users do this. It WILL  
cause BIG problems with both directory structure and bootability even  
if you only "change it right back."

The procedure to actually change your "short user name" (which is  
what you are doing when you rename your Home folder) is incredibly  
complicated and UNIX-y. Luckily someone wrote a simple Applescript  
that does the work for you and works VERY well.

You can find it, called ChangeShortUserName, at macupdate.com. If you  
MUST change your short user name, that is the ONLY way I can recommend.

Cheers
Chas

ps. sorry this is such a late reply, Al ... two near-simultaneous  
deaths in the family have me catching up.