I am looking to set up a new web server and was wondering which MS server 2008 would be best for a simple web server and why? I was thinking MS 2008 Web, but that doesn't have remote desktop. Thanks
If you're starting from scratch, and you want to go Windows, then 2008 is a brilliant OS. The difference is cost between 2008 Web and 2008 Standard is a few dollars per month in the SPLA so go for Standard. If the apps you intend to run will operate in a 64-bit OS, go for the "R2" version as it's the latest and greatest. 2003 is still a great OS and many of our servers still run it, but 2008 is extremely fast, easier to work with, and an all-round better system, particularly in 64-bit.
Are you sure you need windows and not unix-based os? windows really can not provide such stability and speed as for example FreeBSD can
You can also go cloudhosting if you want the best uptime. But my vote also has FreeBSD as this is being used by most hosters