Why Linux?

A lot of people go with linux because it has a smaller footprint, and the support for it is easy to get. With Linux your able to run all of your major application servers from it. PHP, MySQL, Apache, etc etc. The list goes on.

What are the Benefits?

Some of the benefits of Linux include being able to do just a little bit more with a Linux box that you can with a Windows box. Host a couple more websites, or maybe do what you need from a smaller package than you can with a simular windows package.