I've had a vm at Linode for several years now, and couldn't be happier.

Full root access with oob-console access, choice of distros, and the ability to do anything legal that you want.

  -Jeff

This is a great book for those who know some about Java, and want to know more.

Also, if you ever get a chance to see Joshua speak, go for it! He's a really engaging speaker, much better than the rest of us nerds :-)