That thread was only several posts down from yours. Can I suggest you contribute to the discussion there.
The options are now:
- Discourse adds an option to revert to prior layout (unlikely)
- You embrace the change and leverage the extra space (e.g. adopt a sidebar).
- You use the CSS or simliar as shown to manipulate the view (partial solution)
- Write a plugin or Theme component to override the Topic List template (.hbs). Probably not that hard because initially you may only need to replace the old one ;). However that would require maintenance over time and would get out of step, so it’s not the best solution longer term.
- Install the existing Topic List Previews plugin and enjoy optional images AND a category column in your view!