No source code is the most common legacy software problem I encounter. The developer left. The code was never handed over. The backup failed. A hard drive died. However it happened, you're left with a running application and no way to change it, understand it, or replace it.

Why source code goes missing

Source code disappears in predictable ways:

• The contractor who built the system kept the code — and the contract never required delivery
• The code existed only on a developer’s personal machine and was lost when they left
• Backups were never configured properly and years of code simply don’t exist
• A server failure destroyed the only copy
• The original software vendor shut down and the source was never held in escrow

The result is always the same: software you depend on that is effectively a black box.

What’s still possible without source code

More than most people expect.

Running software leaves traces. The executable contains structure. The database has a schema. The application’s behaviour can be observed, mapped, and documented. The business logic can be inferred from inputs and outputs.

I can’t give you the source code back. What I can do:

• Document what the application does — screens, workflows, business processes
• Extract and document the database schema and data
• Identify and document the business rules the application enforces
• Produce a functional specification detailed enough to rebuild the system
• Assess what modernization approach makes sense given the situation
• Extract data from proprietary formats so it can be migrated

The goal is to convert the software from a black box into something understood — something that can be replicated, replaced, or at minimum documented for risk management.

What I need

• The running application (preferred) or the executable files
• Any database files associated with the application
• Any documentation that exists, even if partial
• A conversation with the people who use the system

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