I am an IT security professional, so I am particularly sensitive to how IT systems should run. I expect that people who administer these systems be well skilled at what they do, keep things secure, and be able to handle technically detailed and relevant questions.

From the very beginning, the Linode staff has far exceeded my expectations. There has been no unexpected downtime that I know of on my server in the last 1+ years I have been here.

There is no "level 1" support here. All of the technical questions I have asked have been answered honestly, without BS and accurately. Everyone who has answered my tickets obviously has many years of experience and can hang with the best.

Many times I have considered moving my hosting to my personal machine on my own Internet connection to save the $20, but the service here is simply too compelling to move.

All in all, they just "get out of the way" and allow me to administer my system as I see fit. I really can't tell that I am on a virtual server. It's exactly the same as any other physical server I would administer.

I have recommended in the past and continue to recommend Linode for anyone looking for a reliable and affordable VPS host.