If you get a hosting machine of your own, it will operate independently, so it will have its own Operating System and you could later install server side apps directly or script-driven sites via a hosting Control Panel. Although keeping the Operating System updated is not always considered fundamental, it can be a rather important task for several reasons. A more modern OS version could have better support for certain hardware, so you may get better performance for the websites and web applications that you install. Your server shall also be more safe because updates typically include security patches which deal with small issues which may permit unauthorized individuals to access your content. Last, but not least, more modern script versions, which are also released for both enhanced security and for additional features, may need a later version of the Operating System in order to work effectively and with their 100 % capabilities.