Development Preview · D1–D3 accepted

The spirit of SPITFIRE,
rebuilt for today.

SPITFIRE NG is a modern, cross-platform reimplementation of the classic SPITFIRE BBS. It preserves the direct, Sysop-first character of the original while replacing DOS-era limits with a safe, maintainable foundation for current systems.

Quick Start Manuals & Documentation View the source on GitHub
Current source

Core caller and messaging workflows are operational

Callers can register, log in, choose conferences, read and post messages, reply, and scan for new messages. Safe update, backup and compatible runtime rollback foundations are accepted. Active development continues.

D1 acceptedUpdate, backup and recovery foundation
D2 acceptedCaller login, new users and sessions
D3 acceptedMenus, conferences and messages
Schema 37Current board data layout

What current source can do

01Callers & security

Returning caller login, new-user registration, duplicate-session protection, safe time accounting and recovery of interrupted sessions across multiple nodes.

02Messages

Conference selection, paged lists, next/previous reading, linked replies, new-message scans, saved read positions and access checks before posts are saved.

03Files & transfers

File storage, inspection and transfer foundations exist. D4 will complete and accept the full caller Files and transfer journey; that milestone is not complete.

04Limits & accounting

Ratios, daily limits, Preview areas, no-charge downloads, upload credit, and concurrent-node protection.

05Storage & recovery

Stopped-board updates verify releases and recovery checkpoints. Compatible runtime rollback keeps current data; restoring a backup deliberately returns to an earlier snapshot.

06Board presentation

Modern, Minimal, and Classic profiles; generated or exact-security menus; localization; and board-owned display screens.

Current source is ahead of the downloadable preview

Current source development

Accepted source at schema 37

D1–D3 are complete, accepted and published. Real Apple Silicon Telnet acceptance covers the caller and messaging journeys. Intel macOS compilation passes; broad Windows, BSD and Linux runtime acceptance is not claimed.

  1. Current documentationUse the Quick Start and manuals when working with the current source.
  2. 0.1.0 Development PreviewThe existing Apple Silicon macOS download remains available, but it predates many features now available in the current source.
  3. No new binary releaseNew source work does not replace or update the existing preview download.
Compare source and preview View the roadmap Download the 0.1.0 preview

What remains in development

Files caller UX and transfers (D4) come next, followed by Sysop operations, further multi-node hardening, Doors, packaging and services, classic migration, and final public-preview acceptance. There is no finished installer, hot update service or final production release.

How updates and recovery work · Caller login · Messages.

Connect your board to a wider conversation

CircuitNET NG links shared conferences across independent boards. Its C1–C9 work is accepted at protocol 1.4; applications remain closed. Meet CircuitNET NG, or read the networking terms and technical references.

Preservation without imitation

SPITFIRE NG is independently authored; it is not a port of proprietary DOS source. Historical SPITFIRE documentation and legally held evidence determine compatibility goals, while modern implementation replaces hardware limits with portable paths, bounded parsers, secure storage, and explicit recovery.

The Original SPITFIRE Archive remains a protected historical collection. SPITFIRE NG is the living project carrying that story forward.