# Personal ## [ The Joomla I Knew was Free ](/blog/personal/the-joomla-i-knew-was-free) [ ![The Joomla I Knew was Free](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/articles/the-joomla-i-knew-was-free/free-extensions.webp) ](/blog/personal/the-joomla-i-knew-was-free "The Joomla I Knew was Free") For years, Joomla felt like a digital barn-raising—everyone pitching in, sharing tools, and building something bigger than themselves. I’ve been part of that from the start, releasing free extensions like my [Fields - XMLForm](/software/joomla/plugins/fields-xmlform) because that’s what kept the engine running: a community of creators trading ideas freely, no tolls or tickets required. My SaaS gig—hosting aviation platforms—pays the bills, and sure, it’s a quieter part of my story, but the extensions were always the heart of it—pure Joomla optimism in action. My SaaS business was built on top of Joomla. It was a potluck where everyone brought a dish to share, until lately. Some developers feast on what’s still free, then lock even the basics behind a paywall—whatever happened to tossing out the staples for free and charging for the spice? [ Read more: The Joomla I Knew was Free ](/blog/personal/the-joomla-i-knew-was-free) ## [ What Happened to the Joomla Community? ](/blog/personal/what-happened-to-the-joomla-community) [ ![What Happened to the Joomla Community?](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/articles/joomla-community/infected-website-platforms.webp) ](/blog/personal/what-happened-to-the-joomla-community "What Happened to the Joomla Community?") Picture this: Mid-2010s, I’m contracted to build an iOS app and a website for a Cable TV hardware company. The app’s a custom RF calculator - Joomla’s in my blood, so I know it’ll anchor the website too. I deliver the app, spot-on, and start asking about the site. Then the rug gets yanked. Investor politics kick in-some bigwig’s buddy gets the gig because the site needs to “pop” for their IPO. My Joomla pitch? Too serious, too technical for the vibe they wanted. They go WordPress. Weeks after launch, it’s hacked-tens of thousands of spam emails blast out, their domain’s blacklisted, and ahead of the IPO, they can’t email a soul. The IPO flops. Company’s dead in a year. I’m left shaking my head-Joomla could’ve saved them, but they chased that effortless “pop.” [ Read more: What Happened to the Joomla Community? ](/blog/personal/what-happened-to-the-joomla-community) ## [ East Mini Dachshunds Texas (Logo Work) ](/blog/personal/east-mini-dachshunds-texas-logo-work) [ ![East Mini Dachshunds Texas](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/articles/east-mini-dachshunds-texas/east-mini-dachshunds-texas.png) ](/blog/personal/east-mini-dachshunds-texas-logo-work "East Mini Dachshunds Texas (Logo Work)") For my wife's poultry show ([Yellow Rose Classic](https://yellowroseclassic.com)), each of the show sponsors gets a banner. Unfortunately, most of her sponsors either didn't have a logo, or their logo was a low-quality image. That is not to say the images were bad; they were just not something we could scale up to banner size without significant loss of quality. So I get to do some SVG work. [ Read more: East Mini Dachshunds Texas (Logo Work) ](/blog/personal/east-mini-dachshunds-texas-logo-work) ## [ Another Commercial - TXIFOA ](/blog/personal/another-commercial-txifoa) [ ![Another Commercial - TXIFOA](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/txifoa-commercial/thumbnails/raising-champions.webp) ](/blog/personal/another-commercial-txifoa "Another Commercial - TXIFOA") Supporting my wife's hobby, I find myself making another commercial. It's a good cause, the [Texas Independent Flock Owners Association](https://txifoa.com) (TXIFOA) supports and promotes agriculture in Texas. [ Read more: Another Commercial - TXIFOA ](/blog/personal/another-commercial-txifoa) ## [ Promoting School Safety with Texas Defense Force Security ](/blog/personal/promoting-school-safety-with-texas-defense-force-security) [ ![Promoting School Safety with Texas Defense Force Security](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/articles/school-officer-program-commercial/school-safety.webp) ](/blog/personal/promoting-school-safety-with-texas-defense-force-security "Promoting School Safety with Texas Defense Force Security") Two years ago, I had the opportunity to take on a unique challenge outside of my usual software development work in the name of school safety. I was asked by Texas Defense Force Security to create a commercial promoting their School Officer Program. The program teams volunteer private security officers recruited from the local community and local law enforcement agencies to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students. [ Read more: Promoting School Safety with Texas Defense Force Security ](/blog/personal/promoting-school-safety-with-texas-defense-force-security) ## [ Edom Texas July 4th Fireworks ](/blog/personal/edom-texas-july-4th-fireworks) Our first time coming to Edom for fireworks. For the past 5 years I've been helping the Whitton Fire Department put on their show, but the show was cancelled this year. I don't often get to watch the show, it was nice! ## [ The ToyNapping ](/blog/personal/the-toynapping-2) [ ![The ToyNapping](https://cdn.richeyweb.com/images/toynapping/ransom3.webp) ](/blog/personal/the-toynapping-2 "The ToyNapping") Oh my goodness - I ran across some old hard drives and decided to take a peek at their contents before sending them to be recycled. I'm glad that I did! I found some things that I thought were gone forever! [ Read more: The ToyNapping ](/blog/personal/the-toynapping-2) ## [ JoomlaDay Texas 2019 Presentation Notes ](/blog/personal/joomladay-texas-2019-presentation-notes) Documentation and links related to my JoomlaDay Texas 2019 presentation. [ Read more: JoomlaDay Texas 2019 Presentation Notes ](/blog/personal/joomladay-texas-2019-presentation-notes) 1. [ I'll be speaking at Joomladay Texas 2019](/blog/personal/ill-be-speaking-at-joomladay-texas-2019) 2. [ Hubble Legacy Field (without crashing your computer)](/blog/personal/hubble-legacy-field-without-crashing-your-computer) 3. [ T-Shirts for Nerds](/blog/personal/t-shirts-for-nerds) 4. [ I was worried, but not anymore](/blog/personal/i-was-worried-but-not-anymore) Page 2 of 5 - [ ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component) - [ ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component) - [ 1 ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component) - [2](#) - [ 3 ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component&start=16) - [ 4 ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component&start=24) - [ 5 ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component&start=32) - [ ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component&start=16) - [ ](/blog/personal?tmpl=component&start=32) ##### We Value Your Privacy We use cookies to enhance your experience and for traffic analysis. By continuing to visit this site you agree to our use of cookies. [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) Details ###### Google Tag Manager Items - Ad Storage - Ad User Data - Ad Personalization - Analytics Storage - Functionality Storage - Personalization Storage - Security Storage Decline Accept ```json 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