set up mailserver
 

Hello,

I recently bought a domain at godaddy.com.
It's a ".com" domain. Now I decided to set up my own server at home for the services of dns, email and ftp using this domain.I also would like to host a simple website on this domain using my own home server. To achieve this I'm thinking of using debian or ubuntu server, however if you think its better to use something else please tell me. I have minimal linux knowledge (two weeks in arch linux) and no to minimal networking knowledge.

Also I don't know where to start. Do I first have to set up a dns server that redirects the user to the files that make up the website on my home server? What should I do or read first?

don't do it yourself, use a hosting service, it's SO much safer and easier. If you don't know what you're doing already you WILL go wrong, and quite probably regret it. It's often just plain cheaper to use a paid service than spend the extra electricity running your own hardware.

Suppose security is not an issue meaning that I have nothing to hide.
Also suppose elecetrycity cost will not be an issue because my server will use about 13 watts.

Well, if you want to it's possible. You really can NOT host DNS though in most cases. if your address changes, then you can't reach the DNS server in the first place, I would recommend using a free dns service like Zoneedit.com instead. Everything else though, you're free to run wherever you want. Just start reading up about Apache and follow the many wonderful guides and tutorials online.

Ok, thank you!

My ISP is able to give me a static ip, www.zonedit.com can give me a free Dynamic DNS. http://freedns.afraid.org/ is also offering a free Dynamic DNS service. Wich one should I pick?

whichever you want, as above, I like zoneedit.com

If you have a static IP and a domain name, then you don't need a dyndns service.
I agree that you should outsource your DNS because :)
If the DNS is wrong, nothing else will work.
I don't know Godaddy, but most registrars have DNS services and allow you to set it easily via a web form. Just put a A record for your domain pointing to your static IP.

Following the recommendations I tried to use www.zoneedit.com but I could'nt login because I had no account. Then I decided to go with http://freedns.afraid.org/. Now I have a domain godaddy.com using dns NS1-4.AFRAID.ORG. What should be the next step? Get ubuntu server up and running?

Oh, zoneedit have redesigned everything. Fair enough.

so you can certainly get the reset working in test without any DNS, but you might as well get all DNS entries resolving too your own IP. As for apache and whatever you want to host, standard docs apply.