As I’ve said before, [TextMate](http://macromates.com/) is becoming my killer app on OSX. One thing I have been missing is a way to edit files over SSH. Emacs has [Tramp](http://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/), which works very well. I googled around and noted that the TextMate list had mentioned [MacFuse](http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/) as a way to accomplish this.

I remembered hearing about MacFuse in the past and have played with the original [Fuse](http://fuse.sourceforge.net/) before. Fuse is a way for a normal use to mount a filesystem. And “filesystem” is a relative term — with the Linux-based Fuse, you could mount your GMail account and use that like a file system, or even an SSH connection, which was my hope. I looked at MacFuse and they are getting some good stuff around. MacFuse not only has a pre-built version for SSH (called, wittingly, “[sshfs](http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/wiki/MACFUSE_FS_SSHFS)”) but also [one for making SpotlightFS](http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/wiki/MACFUSE_FS_SPOTLIGHTFS). Sorta like Smart Folders. Only different.

I installed MacFuse and it required a restart. I did that and installed sshfs. I configured a connection (I use private keys with my SSH — I think it’s required for this operation. At least it should be). When I used Finder or the open file dialog, it was slow at first. But as MacFuse was able to do it’s caching, it turned out to be only a little slower than a normal file system. And reading the file in TextMate and then saving it were also so. But, really, the same is true in Tramp as well.

I think I like the Emacs/Tramp combination better, but I don’t see TextMate getting anything like that. So MacFuse and sshfs will have to do. And I think they will do nicely.