I've done it quite a bit. I don't recommend it generally though. If you're already going to have a machine at home on 24/7 and you have a fast connection and an IP that doesn't change then it's a great way to get started. Just realize that the cost of your electricity will probably not be so much less than a cheap dedicated server (and probably more than a cheap VPS).
If you want to gain some sysadmin knowledge it's probably the single best way to start learning. It's just like having a machine in the shittiest datacenter possible, that just happens to be very conveniently located.
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I've done it quite a bit. I don't recommend it generally though. If you're already going to have a machine at home on 24/7 and you have a fast connection and an IP that doesn't change then it's a great way to get started. Just realize that the cost of your electricity will probably not be so much less than a cheap dedicated server (and probably more than a cheap VPS).
If you want to gain some sysadmin knowledge it's probably the single best way to start learning. It's just like having a machine in the shittiest datacenter possible, that just happens to be very conveniently located.