ReCreatingAnew — Mission, Purpose & Guiding Principles
ReCreatingAnew (RCA)
Published: April 28, 2026
Who We Are
ReCreatingAnew is a solo independent software development brand operated by GinA, a US-based Joomla developer and systems administrator. RCA was founded on a straightforward observation: the Joomla ecosystem contains many useful, mature extensions — extensions that stopped receiving updates when their developers moved on. When Joomla released major versions with breaking changes, these extensions broke with no fix in sight.
RCA exists to solve that problem.
Our Mission
> To preserve, modernize, and actively maintain Joomla extensions that have been abandoned — giving them a second life under modern standards, open licenses, and ongoing support.
We believe software built on open-source principles deserves to remain useful. When a GPL-licensed extension goes dark, the source code does not disappear — and the permission to continue it does not expire. RCA exercises that permission responsibly, rigorously, and transparently.
Our Purpose
Joomla site owners who depend on abandoned extensions face an impossible choice: remain on Joomla 3 (end-of-life), replace a working tool with an unknown alternative, or lose the functionality entirely.
RCA offers a fourth option: a refactored version of the original extension, updated for Joomla 4/5/6, with the same feature set, under the same license, with active maintenance going forward.
Our purpose is not to compete with original developers — it is to fill the gap they leave behind.
RCA also addresses a second, equally common problem: active extensions that ship with unresolved bugs on current Joomla versions. Some developers release extensions for Joomla 4/5/6 but do not follow up on reported issues — leaving users with broken Media Managers, fatal PHP errors, or incompatible API calls on Joomla 6. In these cases, RCA publishes free compatibility and bugfix plugins (such as RCA SPPB Compat) that patch the specific issues without requiring users to wait for the original developer to act. These patches are applied transparently — original files are backed up, changes are documented, and users are notified if an SPPB update overwrites the patch so they can re-apply it.
Our Refactoring Methodology
Every RCA extension is refactored through a documented, nine-phase process:
Phase 1 — Artifact Preservation: Original source code is archived untouched before any changes are made.
Phase 2 — Architectural Audit: The extension is mapped against Joomla 4/5/6 MVC Development Standards to identify every deprecated API call, obsolete pattern, and removed class.
Phase 3 — Deprecation Mapping: A comprehensive matrix of Joomla 3-to-6 substitutions is applied, including:
- `JFactory` → `Factory` (DI container)
- `JHtml` → `HTMLHelper`
- `JLoader` → PSR-4 namespace autoloading
- MooTools/SqueezeBox → Bootstrap 5
- `Factory::getMailer()` → `MailerFactoryInterface`
- `Joomla\CMS\Filesystem\` → `Joomla\Filesystem\`
- 30+ additional substitutions documented in the RCA Refactoring Protocol
Phase 4 — Refactor Execution: Dependencies are refactored first, then core logic, then views and templates — ensuring no regressions.
Phase 5–7 — Testing: Each extension is tested on Joomla 4.4, 5.x, and 6.x with PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3. Installation, configuration, core functionality, and uninstallation are all verified.
Phase 8 — JED Compliance: Compliance is verified against all four JED submission checklists: Submissions, Trademark, License, and Installation & Functionality.
Phase 9 — Update Server Deployment: The release ZIP and feed XML are deployed to recreatinganew.com/extensions, enabling Joomla's built-in updater to detect and deliver new versions automatically.
Our Guiding Principles
1. Preservation Over Replacement
We do not invent new extensions when existing ones can be restored. Our goal is to keep working software working — not to build replacements that break existing site configurations.
2. Full Transparency
Every RCA extension clearly identifies the original extension and developer it was forked from, exactly what RCA changed, and a complete changelog. We never obscure the origins of our extensions.
3. Open Source First
All RCA extensions are distributed under GPL v2 or later — the same license as the original. Commercial licenses fund maintenance and support; they do not restrict the GPL rights of any user.
4. No Framework Dependencies
Many original extensions required proprietary third-party frameworks that added complexity and introduced additional update risks. RCA versions are framework-free: self-contained, with no external dependencies beyond Joomla itself.
5. American English and US Standards
Many extensions RCA refactors originated in Europe and used European conventions: DD/MM/YYYY date formats, metric measurements, EU address formats, and EU-centric legal terminology. RCA editions use US English, US date formats (MM/DD/YYYY), US measurement conventions, and US-standard legal language throughout.
6. Security-First Architecture
Every RCA extension follows Joomla security best practices without exception:
- `defined('_JEXEC') or die;` in every PHP file
- `declare(strict_types=1)` enforced project-wide
- SQL parameterization via `quoteName()` and `quote()`
- CSRF tokens on all state-changing forms
- Input filtering via Joomla's `InputFilter`
- Output escaping throughout all templates
- File permissions: 755 directories, 644 files — never 777
7. Active Maintenance Commitment
When RCA publishes an extension, it commits to maintaining it through at least the next two major Joomla versions. This is not a one-time port — it is an ongoing commitment to the community.
8. Community Bug Reports Welcome
RCA actively invites the Joomla community to submit bug reports for any extension in the RCA catalog — including free bugfix plugins. If you encounter an error, incompatibility, or broken behavior with any of the following on Joomla 4, 5, or 6, we want to know about it:
- Abandoned extensions that RCA has already refactored but that have new issues
- Active third-party extensions that are broken on Joomla 6 and whose original developer has not addressed the issue
- RCA extensions themselves — no software is perfect and we take all bug reports seriously
To submit a bug report:
1. Visit [recreatinganew.com/support](https://recreatinganew.com/support) or email
2. Include: Joomla version, PHP version, extension name and version, description of the problem, and any error messages or screenshots
3. If possible, describe the steps to reproduce the issue
RCA evaluates all submissions. When a reported bug is confirmed and within scope (i.e., the original developer has not already released a fix), RCA will either patch the existing extension or publish a standalone bugfix plugin. Bug submitters are credited in the changelog of the resulting fix.
What RCA Is Not
- RCA is not affiliated with Joomla!, Open Source Matters, or any original extension developer
- RCA does not fork extensions whose original developers are actively maintaining Joomla 4/5/6 versions — but RCA may publish a free bugfix plugin for such extensions when specific, documented bugs remain unaddressed on current Joomla versions
- RCA does not claim sole authorship of forked extensions
- RCA is not a large company — it is a solo developer who cares deeply about the Joomla ecosystem
Contact
Website: https://recreatinganew.com
Email:
Support: