While Obsidian cannot perfectly replicate Roam in these particular aspects (and I know that nobody is arguing for this), I do think that Obsidian can provide a very effective solution to this without it being complex to develop.
Essentially, the backlink pane does not need to be that big. It should be 1/4 of the size. 3/4 of the size should be the actual note that you select so that you see the entire context. B/c all of your files are stored locally, the selection appears instantaneously with full context.
- So the 1/4 of the size (the current backlink pane that has the list of your links) is just there for you to see a list. And yes, you don’t get much context.
- But the 3/4 of the size populates/updates automatically based on which backlink you select. This area shows you the full note, full context, etc.
- The key is that the 1/4 of the sized pane (that has all of your listed links) should NOT be updated. It should be tethered to the main note that you are viewing. Currently, it gets updated if you select a link that is of another note.
For more details, check out the bug and feature request below. The bug was fixed, but this requires manual steps and the UI is not nearly as seamless as it is in Obsidian. The feature request actually brings it much closer to the point where I wouldn’t miss Roam for this particular aspect.