OS 8.1 to OS 7 List Views is a ResEdit resource that you can paste into your OS 8.1 Finder to make it use the same order as OS 7 did. In OS 7.x, List View fields were ordered File Name, Size, Kind, Label, and then Date Modified. I liked this much better because you could see the important info (Size, Kind, Label) without widening your window to fill half the screen. In OS 8.1, the relatively useless Date Modified field comes before Size, Kind, Label necessitating the wider window views.
How Do I Use It?
0. You are using System 8.1, right?
1. Make sure you have a System CD or another system disk handy to boot off of in case this doesn't work.
2. Duplicate your Finder to a different location.
3. Open the OS 8.1 to OS 7 List Views file in ResEdit.
4. Open the duplicate Finder in ResEdit.
5. Open the 'fcol' resource in both files.
6. Copy the 4512 resource from the OS 8.1 to OS 7… fcol window to the Finder fcol window. When it asks you if it should replace the resource, click the Yes button.
7. Save the Finder and quit ResEdit.
8. Move your old Finder out onto the desktop.
9. Move your new Finder into the System Folder.
10. Reboot. You should now have List Views that are ordered the same way as the List View in OS 7.x.
11. You can now move the old Finder (on the desktop) to the trash or to some safe storage location in case you ever want to switch back.
What If It Didn't Work?
If, by some freakish catastrophe, it does not work and your computer is crashing when you boot, you will need to boot off of your System CD (insert CD, hold down 'c' key after restart). Replace your Finder with the old one that was moved to your desktop in step 8.
At this point, if you've reviewed the instructions and you did everything correctly, I have no explanation as to why the process didn't work for you, and I would say that you should wait until somebody comes up with some sort of patching utility to automate the process.
Other Utilites to Help Make OS 8
Not to rant too loudly, but I thought we just went through the whole "gray is bad" thing with Netscape. All those web pages on gray backgrounds proved that it is harder to read text on a gray background. So what did they do with OS 8? Made everything gray! Argh.
If, like me, you dislike the new gray appearance of the OS 8 Finder, I highly recommend the extension Kaleidoscope <http://www.kaleidoscope.net>. For $20 this utility will let you change the look of your entire system, including the Finder. You can set the Finder Window color to white, which gets rid of the nasty gray background in the "Sorted" column. Furthermore, download the System 7 Nostalgia Silver Scheme by Brad Matter and your entire system will once again look just like good ol' System 7.5. Ahhh. Happy at last!
Legal Stuff (copied from a random installer)
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”. USE THE SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FROM OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR OR QUADRATIC SOFTWARE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE, MISUSE, OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THESE EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY IN ALL JURISDICTIONS. YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND SOME OF THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
