Replace the Finder with any application!
Mar 28, '01 04:02:51PM
Contributed by: Anonymous
OS X's Finder is just an application, right? So, I conducted an experiment.
GOAL: Replace OS X's Finder with the Terminal App.
RESULT: It works!
Read the rest of this article if you'd like to see how it works, and the implications - could someone write a replacement Finder??
Editor's caution: Although I believe the following does exactly what's been described, I have not tested this on my machine (and I don't think I will ;-). Experiment at your own risk
Here's what to do to replace your Finder with the terminal (or any other app):
- Log out
- Log in as root
- Create a back-up copy of the Application "Finder" in your /System/Library/CoreServices/ directory. I created mine in the Utilities folder. Make sure this is the application 'Finder', which is 6.9 MB, and not the Classic Application.
- Create a copy of the Terminal Application on your desktop.
- Rename it Finder.
- Drop the renamed app into /System/Library/CoreServices/.
- Log out
- Log back in normally.
Terminal should now start instead of the Finder.
Best of all, it stays launched. Try quiting it. The loginwindow process will relaunch, and treats it as the Finder. Since OS X does not rely on the Finder (read: It's not hard-coded), any application can act as your Finder, and be treated by the System as such.
THIS MEANS:
A third-party developer can write a COCOA finder, that works, and we can all use that.
So, there you go.
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England Prevails
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Jack Shedd
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