"Top" based on what? Volume, level of service, number of servers, time in business? What specifically are you looking for? You can add http://hostdrive.com to that list btw. We've been at it over a decade now in this business!
I have been in the hosting industry for many years now, and I can say that if uptime is important to you go with Rackspace. Prepare to spend over $300 a month for a dedi. theplanet is ok, but most engineers moved to softlayer. Stay away from hostway. If you do not need dedi, then next best option is VPS.
I second Webhostingbuzz.com and Rackspace.com. These companies provide dedi solutions in a good way. I strongly recommend them.
Why do we Dutch host never get to compete! Compared to US networks I think you´ll really notice a change!
what's the difference between managed and unmanaged? And is FDCServers.com managed or unmanaged? Thanks.
fully managed, semi-managed or unmanaged, it depends on each vendor. FDC, I believe they provide unmanaged servers. You will be in charge of server management
@truongster, with managed plan you can ask support to do something for you free. Unmanaged you got to do everything by yourself or pay for the support to do something in VPS.
and what would these things be? Any examples? Also, what is a good managed dedicated server host with good prices ?
for starting, you don't need multiple servers. Why not start with a reseller account, then when you have customers enough, you will upgrade to VPS, dedicated server later. It saves your money, and don't need to worry about server management (that it seems you don't have experience in server management. Correct me if I am wrong)