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One of the most important choices that someone can make for their dedicated server is which operating
system (OS) to use with it. The operating system is responsible for ensuring that the hardware resources
of the system are made available to the user programs as efficiently and securely as possible. The
choice of operating system can be influenced by the software that will eventually reside on the server,
as some software will not work under some operating systems, or will not work as well as with other OSes.
Web servers often use a variant of the Unix operating system such as Linux or FreeBSD. These operating
systems are often preferred because of their cost benefit - they're free. Other servers are
based on the Microsoft Windows platform, but many hosting providers find that the Linux-like OSes allow them
to lower their prices, making their offerings more attractive. Your dedicated server's operating system will dictate the software
which can be run on the server. Unix or linux-based servers won't run Windows programs and vice-versa. If there's a particular program or suite that
your dedicated server must run, then you might be severely constrained as to your choice of operating systems.
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