Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've also been frustrated by these issues. I want to be able to edit a file with local typing speed (i.e., gvim on Windows), but then be able to hit a key and be in a terminal window on that server in that folder to perhaps do a manual grep or rebuild an index or whatever. I feel like we were closer in the 90s with innovative products like Slirp and Term and, yes, Zmodem (and Kermit). I started trying to build out so…
Sounds like you want Emacs' tramp. On your local emacs, open a file in the form "/user@remote-ssh-host:file" and it will grab the remote file and edit it locally. Crazily all the emacs version control commands and stuff like M-x compile and M-x grep all work in the remote context. Very cool stuff. Obviously this requires that you use Emacs instead of Vim though. Don't be afraid though, the grass is pretty green over…
Though the latency of my satellite connection outweighs the shortcomings of sshfs. The thing about tramp is that where sshfs hangs up directory listing and file loading, tramp regularly hangs up the editor. (And tramp should really turn off autosave by default.)