Which distro is best for hosting LAMP + memcache? (answer gets a Linode or Slicehost referral)

Question

Despite having very little Linux experience, I'm too enticed by VPS (and too sick of cPanel/shared hosting crap) to not give it a try.

I'm a smart kid and pick up things pretty quick. I took a class in Linux and know basic commands, how to pipe commands, some scripting and shell stuff -- all of which I've nearly forgotten... but I'm ready to learn it all again. Since I'll be using either Linode or Slicehost, I'm granted the opportunity to screw up a lot.

So, which distro would be best for me to start with? I'm looking for ease of use and administration here, especially in terms of installing LAMP + memcache and having it up and running by the end of today.

Linode or Slicehost? Any inherent differences between the two? Linode seems cheaper.

Finally, so as not to leave the referral field blank for whichever host I choose, please provide you're info and the winning answer will get a referral :)

Answer 1

Been using Linode for several months, it took less than an hour to set up the the virtual "boxes", and we haven't touched it since, so from my point of view (as a developer) that gets two thumbs up.

Using Ubuntu and haven't encountered any problems since initial setup.

Haven't used Slicehost but frankly after the simplicity of Linode setup, wouldn't need to switch/try anything else.

Answer 2

It depends on what's most important to you - security, updates, support, community.

Different distro's have different orientation - for example, we use Centos which is extremely stable and secure - but this comes at a price, since it is usually lags behind the latest technologies and updates (since those take time to mature :) ).

Check out this page for an overview of the pros and cons of each distribution.

Answer 3

I used Slicehost for several months in a previous job and never had any problems. You can basically do whatever you want with your slice, which is very nifty. For quick fixes, you can manage remotely anywhere with their web-based terminal and their administrator console. Don't know enough about Linode to say whether one is better than the other, but it sounds like you've separated the wheat from the chaff with your short list already.