What Was SPITFIRE?
A home for communities before the Web
SPITFIRE was a bulletin board system, or BBS, for MS-DOS computers in the years before the Web became part of everyday life. Using a modem and an ordinary telephone line, people could call another computer directly and connect to a privately operated online community. Once there, callers could exchange messages, download files, play games, and meet others, often from the same city or area code.
Created by Mike Woltz and released by his family-run company, Buffalo Creek Software, in 1987, SPITFIRE gave a Sysop—the person operating a bulletin board—the tools to build and manage that online gathering place. It supported multiple callers, message areas, file libraries, external programs known as “doors,” colorful ANSI screens and connections to wider message networks.
From its 1987 debut through the release of version 3.7 on January 1, 2010, SPITFIRE spanned more than two decades of personal-computer history. It remained an MS-DOS application throughout its life, but Sysops carried it into the Windows era by running it in DOS sessions under Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me and compatible 32-bit editions of Windows XP.
Mike’s surviving documentation does not explain the single moment or personal experience that prompted him to begin SPITFIRE. It does, however, make his purpose remarkably clear: he wanted a BBS that was capable without becoming cumbersome. In his words, SPITFIRE was designed to be a “simple, small, fast, get-the-job-done” system—software that remained practical, dependable and affordable for the people actually running it.
SPITFIRE gave ordinary computer owners the tools to operate their own online community from a DOS PC and one or more telephone lines.
Mike followed the KISS principle: keep the system small, fast and understandable while still providing the features a working BBS required.
Callers could leave messages, exchange files, play door games, chat with the Sysop and participate in discussions extending beyond their local board.
Anyone could try and distribute SPITFIRE. Sysops who continued using it registered their copy, helping fund development and personal support from Buffalo Creek Software.
Through systems such as Circuitnet, FireNet and other third-party mail tools, individual SPITFIRE boards became part of larger regional and international conversations.
SPITFIRE had newsletters, support boards, featured Sysops and conferences where operators met face-to-face—putting people behind the names and voices encountered online.
Teaser Alert
And the story is not finished. Alongside this archive, work is underway on a new SPITFIRE BBS built from the ground up for modern systems. It is not a port of the original DOS code, but a fresh implementation intended to carry forward SPITFIRE’s Sysop-first spirit, community focus and unmistakable character. More will be shared as it takes shape. Scroll down for more or click here.
Remembering Mike Woltz
Michael David “Mike” Woltz (1945–2022) was the programmer behind SPITFIRE and the heart of Buffalo Creek Software. Working from West Des Moines, Iowa, Mike helped give thousands of people a place to gather online years before the Web became part of everyday life.
Mike and his wife, Ann, established Buffalo Creek Software in 1986. The following year he released SPITFIRE, a bulletin board system he wrote in Turbo Pascal with assembly-language routines. His guiding idea was straightforward: make it a “simple, small, fast, get-the-job-done” system—powerful enough for a working BBS, but practical and affordable for the Sysop running it.
SPITFIRE became more than software. Mike and Ann answered questions, distributed updates and welcomed Sysops and their families to conferences in Des Moines. By the end of 1992, Buffalo Creek counted 1,523 registered copies of SPITFIRE still in operation, with boards across the United States and around the world.
Mike’s Christian faith was quietly woven through his work. In the SPITFIRE manual, he thanked God for his family and for giving him the ability to write the program. His Keeping in Touch newsletters often closed with a blessing, and sometimes included a passage of Scripture—among them Ephesians 2:8–9. Even his SPITFIRE message signature carried the words, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” These were small but unmistakably personal expressions of the faith that mattered to him.
Beyond programming, Mike served as a Grand Lodge Representative for the IAM&AW and was a musician with Freedom Road, earning induction into the Iowa Rock ’n Roll Music Association Hall of Fame. He left behind his wife, Ann, a large family, and a far-reaching community built one telephone connection at a time.
This archive is preserved in gratitude for Mike’s work and for the people who made SPITFIRE their online home.
Explore the SPITFIRE Archive
Software, stories, and artifacts from the dial-up era
A classic BBS, rebuilt for modern systems.
SPITFIRE NG now has complete, tested caller login, new-user registration and core messaging: conferences, reading, posting, replies and new-message scans, with safe multi-node sessions. Update, backup and compatible runtime rollback foundations are also in place. Files caller UX, Sysop operations, Doors, packaging and classic migration remain in development.