Hi,
With 08 pin (empty?) and 18 pin sockets (with a PIC) it possibly is a programmer, but it seems TOO simple for that. Certainly the 9-pin sub D connector looks like RS232 (probably ground to pin 5 at one end) but it appears to use pins 3 and 4 whilst RXD and TXD should be 2 and 3, so I wouldn't expect "normal" communications. It's probably deriving power from the "handshake" pins (6 - 9) along the other side (note the diodes), which might require connection to a "classic" PC COM port (not a USB adapter), but with no apparent regulator it may be "assuming" 5 volt (TTL) signal levels?
Cheers, Alan.