RicheyWeb Software Development

Building the Weird Stuff

What do you do when a problem is so strange, so far out of left field, that no one else dares touch it? If you’re me, you dive in headfirst. I’m a problem solver—not by choice, but by fate. The weirdest, most mind-bending challenges seem to find me, and I’ve built a career turning chaos into solutions. From coding on a laptop in a moving van to decoding data a company refused to share, here’s a glimpse into the "weird stuff" I tackle—and how it all happens through word-of-mouth, no advertising required.

Progress Indicator for Top of the Page

Extension Page: System - Top of the Page

Want a sleek 'Back to Top' button that doubles as a scroll progress indicator? In this guide, I’ll show you how to style and enhance the System - Top of the Page plugin with just a few lines of CSS and JavaScript. It’s simpler than you think—and way lighter than those bloated 100-line tutorials out there.

Tracking Bots Like a Pro with GA and HashCash

Tracking Spam Bots Like a Pro with GA and HashCash

captcha

Forget bots vanishing after a failed attack. With Captcha - HashCash’s latest feature, every stumble turns into a clue you can track and outsmart. This isn’t just a CAPTCHA—it’s a bot-hunting machine that transforms your Joomla forms into a security goldmine. Imagine knowing who’s attacking, how they’re doing it, and where they’re hitting—all without bothering your users. That’s Detection Profiling, and it’s your key to staying ahead.

What Happened in the Last 2 Years?

I read some forum posts asking if I was still around, and yes I am. I'm fine, my family is fine. I had to set some priorities in response to what I'll label "adversity", and free software was very low on the list. My websites were always here, downloads for anyone who wanted them, but for the last 2 years I haven't been available.

Did I Just Solve Joomla Bot Spam With HashCash?

captcha

Eleven years ago, I stumbled across a technical paper from 2002 by Adam Back. It was about HashCash—a proof-of-work system designed to make spammers’ lives miserable by forcing their machines to grind through heavy calculations. I thought, “This could work for bot spam in Joomla forms,” and built my first Captcha - HashCash plugin. Little did I know, someone else had tried it before me—and their version vanished after landing on the CVE list in 2006. If I’d known, I might’ve picked a different name. But that’s ancient history, and my HashCash? It’s still kicking.

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