Pstttt: You can actually run 8.1, and run the Finder from 7.x on it, then strip out the extensions that Finder 8 needed, but 7 doesn't. You now have something that's mostly functionally and visually identical to 7, but supports HFS+. (8.1 and 7.x aren't really that different - it was mostly to market and get rid of the clone contracts. 8.5/6 is when it gets different.)