I'm mocking up every page in HTML right now. My cofounder and I are scouring over all the details, trying to make absolutely gorgeous pages. (I know every person who makes an HTML thinks this, but I truly think that the few pages we've finalized are superb.)
Next semester, I'm in an advanced PHP course - enough to really firm up the things I'm working on. I'll probably have a prototype made winter break, so I'll be able to fix up the beta and stabilize it as part of that class, and have a working model in time to apply for YCombinator this summer.
I'm working with other PHP projects so I can get confident enough in PHP to make my site. The code for it is really simple: one of the things that makes me certain about my idea is that it's an incredibly basic one that hasn't been used in the way I'll be using it. I'm not too worried about it getting complex, so I'll know exactly when I'm ready to dash it out. But HTML first.
Unless you're certain about the UI elements, doing a hard design may be a bad move. I personally get better mileage from building the core architecture/functionality first, and working on the rest, ideally with public feedback on both after a certain stage. I've made significant changes in usability in the past as a result of this. If you end up hard-coding stuff before it gets scrutinized in the forge of actual use, you'll have a harder time making changes down the road.
YMMV. It helps if you use a framework or something else that can get you started. Just remember that customizing a framework isn't your core competency.
I'm very good with frameworks - I've got several years' experience with Drupal - but this project I want coded by hand, because I want to be absolutely certain of what's going on on every page of the project.
The UI elements are pretty much set. This is an idea that's been a long time coming, and we've got ourselves almost entirely planned out.
Next semester, I'm in an advanced PHP course - enough to really firm up the things I'm working on. I'll probably have a prototype made winter break, so I'll be able to fix up the beta and stabilize it as part of that class, and have a working model in time to apply for YCombinator this summer.
I'm working with other PHP projects so I can get confident enough in PHP to make my site. The code for it is really simple: one of the things that makes me certain about my idea is that it's an incredibly basic one that hasn't been used in the way I'll be using it. I'm not too worried about it getting complex, so I'll know exactly when I'm ready to dash it out. But HTML first.