In Finder, how to switch to List view and set it as the default view

As much as I love Macs, I do occasionally question the reasoning behind some of Apple's decisions. One of the biggest being the choice to list all files in a tiled, icon based, view. Fortunately, changing this to a much more manageable and detailed view is easy to do.

• Open Finder. This can be done by clicking the icon usually located to the far left of the launcher bar that looks like a blue and white smiling face. Alternatively, you may click the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner of your screen followed by typing in "Finder" and pressing [Return.]
  
  
• Browse to any folder as long as it isn't the "Recents" tab.
• In the top menu bar, click "View" followed by "List."
  
  
• In the top menu bar, click "View" followed by "Show view options."
  
  
• Ensure both "Always open in list view" and "Browse in list view" both have checkmarks next to them and click the "Use as Defaults" button.
  
  
• That's it! Now, when you browse in finder, it's much easier to navigate and see a much more detailed view.