ChangeShortName--finally

HowEver · Jul 10th, 2007, 09:55 AM

The source for this information is this week's TidBits #887.
TidBITS: TidBITS#887/09-Jul-07

TidBITS: ChangeShortName Simplifies Name Changing

	Quote:
	ChangeShortName Simplifies Name Changing By Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com> Unsatisfied with your identity in Mac OS X? Bothered that the person being asked to provide an administrator password isn't really you? You can always open the Accounts pane of System Preferences and change the Name field that holds your full name. But the Short Name field below it remains frustratingly immutable, even after you click the lock icon, making you think, perhaps, that Mac OS X is being unnecessarily over-protective. This is backwards. Your full name is what you can't escape, the one inscribed on your birth certificate. But short names, whether they're chosen, assigned, or merely accidental, are more malleable. My late grandfather Orville was known to his friends as Barb, a seemingly inexplicable nickname for a powerfully built farmer who could fix electric fences without turning off the heat. It was finally explained to me that it was short for "barbarian," a reference to his football and boxing prowess at Cornell University in the 1930s. Had Grandpa accidentally set his short name in Mac OS X to "orville" when he would have preferred "barb", the ChangeShortName utility from James Bucanek and Dan Frakes would have come in handy. It is possible to change a short name in Mac OS X with appropriate incantations at the command line and gestures in Apple's NetInfo Manager, along with edits to configuration files. But it's a tedious process involving so many steps that not even Apple's official instructions are complete. It's also prone to errors: if you mess up, you're looking at significant recovery efforts. ChangeShortName (at) DanFrakes.com makes this process far easier and more foolproof by encapsulating all the steps necessary to change an account's short name. All you have to do is select an existing name, enter the new name, and click a button. Plus, if you've tried and failed to change a short name on your own, it can also repair some of the damage. It requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later, and is free, though donations are requested. Even with ChangeShortName, changing your short name isn't the sort of thing to do lightly, so be sure to read the included documentation before using it. It's a 424K download.

rondini · Jul 10th, 2007, 07:46 PM

Ummm ...not sure what the fuss is about, I used this applet months ago, might have been in 06 even

Lars · Jul 10th, 2007, 07:50 PM

Honestly. Who cares about the short name.

vacuvox · Jul 10th, 2007, 08:54 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by Lars
	Honestly. Who cares about the short name.

... anyone who has several computers on a network or even just a personal tower and a laptop? When you first use the computer it asks for your name etc - and from this it makes your identity and short name - which is then otherwise very difficult to change. If you have a couple of computers, they might have the same shortname and this can become confusing on the network. Old news or not - I've never come across this utility before and it will be very handy. Thanks for the link!

HowEver · Jul 10th, 2007, 09:10 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by Lars
	Honestly. Who cares about the short name.

I heard the saying, if you can't say something nice, you're Lars.

Really, people ask all the time about how to do this.

mr.steevo · Jul 10th, 2007, 09:36 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by HowEver
	I heard the saying, if you can't say something nice, you're Lars.

Hi,

Now THAT quite literally made me laugh out loud.

Sorry Lars.

<snicker>

s.

fyrefly · Jul 11th, 2007, 01:15 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by HowEver
	I heard the saying, if you can't say something nice, you're Lars. Really, people ask all the time about how to do this.

Wow... and when it's HowEver schooling you on being nice on the boards... wow.

groovetube · Jul 11th, 2007, 09:11 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by fyrefly
	Wow... and when it's HowEver schooling you on being nice* on the boards... wow.*

thinking the same thing...

perhaps Lars and HowEver should getta room.

SoyMac · Jul 11th, 2007, 10:41 AM

Thanks, HowEver!
This is exactly what I and many others need.
Not only am I dealing with used Macs and their inherited ownership identities, but friends (switchers) are now asking me how to change the names/short names on used macs they've bought, or new macs that they set-up, not really thinking of the permanence of the name they input during the exciting set-up phase of their first Mac.
It's been maddeningly complicated to get this done.
Any tips and help are more than appreciated.

Lars · Jul 11th, 2007, 10:55 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by vacuvox
	... anyone who has several computers on a network or even just a personal tower and a laptop?

The name of any Mac on an active network is determined by the name given to that particular Mac under 'Sharing' via System Preferences under 'Computer Name.' The house 'shortname' is irrelevant in this manner and is not used. The shortname only comes into play if you decide to connect to that particular Mac to swap files between the two. In that case, the network drive icon that will appear on your desktop will be labeled with the shortname of the user account you're connecting to to swap data with - and that's only if you're connecting directly to it's home folder (user account). If you decide to connect to the actual root of the hard drive and not the user account, then the shortname doesn't ever come into play, as the network drive icon that appears in that case will be of the name of the hard drive you're connecting to (typically 'Macintosh HD' unless it was renamed by the user). That being said, there is little real reason to change the shortname save for appearance purposes (i.e.; your shortname has a spelling mistake within it).

Jul 10th, 2007, 07:46 PM	#2
rondini Full Citizen Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Guelph Posts: 636	Ummm ...not sure what the fuss is about, I used this applet months ago, might have been in 06 even __________________ Apple Stores visited: Yorkdale (#400ish at opening) Walden Galleria, Buffalo Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis Biltmore Fashion Park, Phoenix Scottsdale Quarter, Scottsdale AZ (flagship type store) http://www.apple.com/retail/scottsdalequarter/ Eaton Centre, Toronto

Jul 10th, 2007, 07:50 PM	#3
Lars Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: GTA Posts: 11,857	Honestly. Who cares about the short name. __________________ Apple Certified Technician ACMT\|ACHDS 10.3-thru-10.5\|10.6+ Mac mini (Early 2009) 2.0GHz\|4GB\|500GB\|NVIDIA Geforce 9400M\|AP\|BT\|Mac OS X 10.6.4 Sound System Audio Engine A2 2.0. iPhone: 3GS 16GB

Jul 11th, 2007, 10:41 AM	#9
SoyMac Honourable Citizen Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ottawa (where Torontonians go to watch NHL-calibre hockey, but where Montrealers go to get sleep) Posts: 3,134	Thanks, HowEver! This is exactly what I and many others need. Not only am I dealing with used Macs and their inherited ownership identities, but friends (switchers) are now asking me how to change the names/short names on used macs they've bought, or new macs that they set-up, not really thinking of the permanence of the name they input during the exciting set-up phase of their first Mac. It's been maddeningly complicated to get this done. Any tips and help are more than appreciated. __________________ . "It is fatal to let any dog know that he is funny, for he immediately loses his head and starts hamming it up." - Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (P.G. Wodehouse)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Finally got broadband!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	duosonic	Anything Mac	5	May 26th, 2007 02:51 PM
When Star Trek finally becomes a religion..	Ottawaman	Everything Else, eh!	16	Sep 10th, 2006 02:14 PM
Camino 1.0 finally out!	Snubnose	Anything Mac	6	Feb 15th, 2006 05:50 PM
Finally...A family P.C. user buys a Mac	dolawren	Anything Mac	5	May 10th, 2005 02:50 PM
Finally evidence of the PC Cult or Fanatic	Kosh	Anything Mac	0	Jan 27th, 2005 09:50 AM