I have a virtual account with another provider going on two years now. I signed up with Linode so I could have a rollover server in case of trouble with #1.

Before I opened my Linode account, I signed up for two other hosts and cancelled them both almost immediately because of bad first impression of service level. They promised immediate activation, which turned out to mean 'within the next day or two'.

My Linode account was literally up and running in hours, and the documentation has been clear and support has been responsive.

I'll be watching Linode for awhile, but I may decide to make them my #1!

I'm sure you will make Linode #1 A linode is more than just a virtual server, you can basically do anything that you can do on a dedicated server (and thanks to LISH, even some stuff that would be difficult to do remotely).

-Brian