Shells makes using Linux in the cloud incredibly easy

I've used a lot of providers that make bold promises of simplifying Linux in the cloud. In many cases, those instances do succeed, especially if the Linux distribution in question is of the non-GUI server type. However, the second you want a desktop added, things veer toward the expensive, the slow or the impossible.

That's why when Shells reached out to me, I was skeptical—I'd see this sort of offering before. In fact, many companies have attempted to deliver a hosted Linux desktop experience and have failed dramatically. When I logged in to my test instance of Shells, some of that doubt washed away.