LegacyDongle – Registry for legacy industrial and DOS dependencies

Help SMBs map which critical equipment still depends on DOS, ISA cards, or parallel-port dongles

Problem

Many businesses still run processes on DOS-era dBase/Clipper environments, ISA-card-controlled CNC mills or spectrometers, or even parallel-port dongles. When these systems fail, almost no one can fix them, yet no one has systematically inventoried them. An HN user specifically asks who still keeps a DOS machine up because the business depends on it, showing real concern with no consolidated information source.

Solution

A lightweight registry and knowledge base where businesses log the legacy hardware and software combinations they still use—OS, interface type, vendor, and known alternatives. It also aggregates repair resources, virtualization migration notes, and parts sources into a searchable public legacy-equipment database.

Users

Manufacturing, lab, and medical equipment maintainers, plus IT leads still running DOS/ISA systems.

MVP

Structured registration form (device type, OS, interface, dependent software); searchable public device registry; migration and repair notes aggregated by device type; anonymous browse without registration.

Revenue

Free registration; lead-gen or placement fees from repair service providers and replacement vendors; paid enterprise private inventory and export subscription.

Why now

A wave of critical industrial equipment is entering its failure-prone years while the engineers who know them are retiring. An indie developer can aggregate information cheaply and build a community moat first.