If you get a hosting machine of your own, it will work independently, so it'll have its own Operating System and you can later install server side programs directly or script-driven internet sites via a hosting Cp. Though keeping the Os updated is not always considered an absolute necessity, it can be a quite important task for a variety of reasons. A newer Operating system version might have better support for certain hardware, so you could get better performance for the internet sites and web applications which you install. Your server shall also be more safe because updates usually include security patches which resolve small problems which may enable unauthorized people to access your content. Last, but not least, more modern script versions, which are also released for both improved security and for additional features, might require a later version of the Operating System in order to work properly and with their full capabilities.