Member Avatar for RobBobSmith

Hello everyone:

Until recently, I used ssh with a terminal and kwrite to work with files on a Linux machine from my Mac laptop. I just started ssh into another Mac and find that I can no longer use kwrite. There is a kwrite for Mac available, but the installation process is beyond me.

So I have been using emacs, and I hate it! Navigating through file is very cumbersome and many of the keyboard commands don't work. I can't even paste. There is a Mac/graphical version of emacs available called Aquamacs, but it apparently doesn't work with ssh. I could probably figure out how to do basic things (like paste!) if I spent long enough reconfiguring things, but I would prefer not to.

My question is, is there a text editor available for Mac that works like kwrite--where I can use a mouse to navigate through files and the keyboard shortcuts are intuitive for Mac users? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by cocolio

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Quick summary tied to the thread: wanted a simple, Mac‑like editor that works over SSH; pointed to a roundup and settled on TextWrangler, and suggested UltraEdit. Below are practical, modern ways to get a mouseable, Mac‑shortcut friendly workflow when editing files on a remote machine.

Visual Studio Code + Remote‑SSH is the easiest all‑in‑one solution: install VS Code on the Mac, add the Remote‑SSH extension, and open a folder on the remote host. VS Code runs a small server on the remote side so the GUI behaves like a local app (copy/paste, Finder‑style file tree, extensions, debugging). Quick win if you have SSH access and can run the server on the remote host. (code.visualstudio.com)

If you prefer to keep using a native Mac editor (BBEdit, Sublime, etc.), there are two reliable approaches:

  • Use the editor’s built‑in SFTP/FTP browser (BBEdit supports direct SFTP open/save). (barebones.com)
  • Mount the remote filesystem with macFUSE/sshfs and open files in any GUI editor. Example mount (after installing macFUSE/sshfs):
mkdir -p /Volumes/remote_host
sshfs user@remote.example.com:/path/to/project /Volumes/remote_host

Mounted volumes behave like local disks for editors, but watch for latency and locking caveats on heavy operations. (macfuse.github.io)

If you really want to run a Linux GUI app (kwrite) over SSH, install XQuartz on macOS and use X11 forwarding (ssh -X or ssh -Y); ensure the remote sshd allows X11 forwarding and has xauth. For a modern Mac‑native UX, though, Remote‑SSH or mounting via macFUSE usually gives the easiest, most reliable experience. (xquartz.org)

Note: TextWrangler has since been retired and consolidated into BBEdit’s free mode; BBEdit is a good native alternative if you liked TextWrangler’s behavior. (barebones.com)

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for jingda

See this link

Member Avatar for RobBobSmith

See this link

Thanks a lot! I downloaded TextWrangler and it does everything I need.

Member Avatar for jingda

Yup, i also use Textwrangler from the App store and it works wonder. Glad the link is able to help you. Do recommend this site to your friends, please. Thanks

Member Avatar for cocolio

try Ultraedit

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