If you get a hosting machine of your own, it will run independently, so it'll have its own Operating System and you'll be able to later install server side programs directly or script-driven internet sites through a hosting Cp. While keeping the Operating System updated is not always considered a necessity, it can be a quite important task for several reasons. A more modern OS version might have better support for specific hardware, so you could get better performance for the websites and web applications which you install. Your server shall also be more protected as updates normally include security patches which fix small problems that may allow unauthorized individuals to access your content. Last, but not least, current script versions, which are also released for both boosted security and for additional features, may need a later version of the Os in order to work effectively and with their 100 % capabilities.