Spitfire (BBS)
Encyclopedia
SPITFIRE is a DOS
-based Bulletin Board System
written by Mike Woltz, published by his company Buffalo Creek Software of West Des Moines, Iowa. SPITFIRE was written in Turbo Pascal
with Assembly Language
routines. It was released in 1987 under the Shareware
concept and had a moderate sized fanbase, only outnumbered by products such as RemoteAccess
, TriBBS
, PCBoard
, Major BBS
, and Wildcat! BBS
. It was possible to run multiple "nodes" of SPITFIRE under Microsoft Windows
and OS/2
; although, most SysOp
s preferred to use Quarterdeck's DESQview
for this purpose. SPITFIRE interfaced with message relaying systems such as FidoNet
through 3rd party utilities such as SHILOH, a QWK networking interfacing program, and BCSUTI, a Postlink-style networking interface. SPITFIRE's most successful release (Version 3.2) came in 1992, just before the World Wide Web
exploded on the scene. By 1994, many SysOps began converting from running BBSes to becoming Internet Service Provider
s. Mr. Woltz was greatly admired by loyal SysOps, but was known for being somewhat stubborn and due to his unwillingness to add Internet connectivity to the software. SPITFIRE's usage dwindled significantly throughout the United States. It was and is still used throughout the world, particularly in countries where high-speed Internet access is unavailable or banned.
However, due to advances in technology, SPITFIRE can be run as a telnet BBS by using a virtual FOSSIL
driver and telnet
engine (SIO/VMODEM under OS/2
, NetFoss
, NetSerial or [NetModem] under Windows
).
SPITFIRE (version 3.6) was updated in 1999 for Y2K compliance. Current release is SPITFIRE 3.7 (as of 1 January 2010) which is still supported by Buffalo Creek Software today.
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
-based Bulletin Board System
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
written by Mike Woltz, published by his company Buffalo Creek Software of West Des Moines, Iowa. SPITFIRE was written in Turbo Pascal
Turbo Pascal
Turbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment for the Pascal programming language running on CP/M, CP/M-86, and DOS, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership...
with Assembly Language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
routines. It was released in 1987 under the Shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
concept and had a moderate sized fanbase, only outnumbered by products such as RemoteAccess
RemoteAccess
RemoteAccess is a DOS Bulletin Board System software package written by Andrew Milner and was published by his company Wantree Development in Australia. RemoteAccess was written in Turbo Pascal with some Assembly Language routines. RemoteAccess began in 1989 as a clone of QuickBBS by Adam Hudson...
, TriBBS
TriBBS
TriBBS is a computer bulletin board system designed for MS-DOS-based computers.-History:TriBBS was written by Mark Goodwin and marketed through his company, TriSoft. TriBBS development was guided primarily by the requests and suggestions of the SysOps who used the program...
, PCBoard
PCBoard
PCBoard was a bulletin board system application first introduced for DOS in 1983 by Clark Development Corporation. Clark Development was founded by Fred Clark. PCBoard was one of the first commercial BBS packages for DOS systems, and was considered one of the "high end" packages during the rapid...
, Major BBS
Major BBS
The Major BBS was bulletin board software developed between 1986 and 1999 by Galacticomm. In 1995 it was renamed Worldgroup Server and bundled with a user client interface program named Worldgroup Manager for Microsoft Windows...
, and Wildcat! BBS
Wildcat! BBS
Wildcat! BBS was a bulletin board system server application that Mustang Software developed in 1986 for DOS, and later ported to Microsoft Windows. By the release of Version 4 it was the basis for more than 50,000 bulletin board systems worldwide....
. It was possible to run multiple "nodes" of SPITFIRE under Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
; although, most SysOp
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
s preferred to use Quarterdeck's DESQview
DESQview
DESQview was a text mode multitasking program developed by Quarterdeck Office Systems which enjoyed modest popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
for this purpose. SPITFIRE interfaced with message relaying systems such as FidoNet
FidoNet
FidoNet is a worldwide computer network that is used for communication between bulletin board systems. It was most popular in the early to mid 1990s, prior to the introduction of easy and affordable access to the Internet...
through 3rd party utilities such as SHILOH, a QWK networking interfacing program, and BCSUTI, a Postlink-style networking interface. SPITFIRE's most successful release (Version 3.2) came in 1992, just before the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
exploded on the scene. By 1994, many SysOps began converting from running BBSes to becoming Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s. Mr. Woltz was greatly admired by loyal SysOps, but was known for being somewhat stubborn and due to his unwillingness to add Internet connectivity to the software. SPITFIRE's usage dwindled significantly throughout the United States. It was and is still used throughout the world, particularly in countries where high-speed Internet access is unavailable or banned.
However, due to advances in technology, SPITFIRE can be run as a telnet BBS by using a virtual FOSSIL
FOSSIL
FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under the DOS operating system. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus SEAdog Standard Interface Layer. Fido refers to FidoBBS, Opus refers to Opus-CBCS BBS, and SEAdog refers to a Fidonet compatible mailer...
driver and telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
engine (SIO/VMODEM under OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
, NetFoss
NetFoss
NetFoss is a popular Network FOSSIL driver for Windows.A FOSSIL is a serial communications layer to allow DOS based software to talk to modems without dealing with hardware I/O and interrupts....
, NetSerial or [NetModem] under Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
).
SPITFIRE (version 3.6) was updated in 1999 for Y2K compliance. Current release is SPITFIRE 3.7 (as of 1 January 2010) which is still supported by Buffalo Creek Software today.