Mike ...
Maybe you need to re-think the problem.
What if the interactive part could be handled locally
with file synchronization carried out in the background?
If you need the remote also for execution, that could be
driven over SSH with commands stacked onto the session(s).
Something like this:
rsync farhost:remotedir nearhost:localdir
vi localfile
rsync nearhost:localdir farhost:remotedir
and then to crunch the files on the remote system:
ssh farhost buildcommand
Byte-at-a-time interaction across that many miles does seem absurd
and sometimes is not effective.
Oh: Also, the EMACS crowd will probably point out that EMACS has
a remote function where your interaction is driven by a local client
though the file itself is stored remotely. But it requires that you
standardize on the one editor. (Thus a systemic solution is more
palatable to most of us.)
-- R; <><
