Resource Central

Resource Central was a specialist publishing house based in Overland Park, Kansas, that served the Apple II community during the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was founded by Tom Weishaar, a former Softalk columnist and Beagle Bros software author, and developed a publishing program focused on practical information, software culture, and user communities surrounding Apple’s widely adopted Apple II computer line. Its flagship publication was Open-Apple, a monthly newsletter edited initially by Weishaar along with Dennis Doms and Ellen Konowitz Rosenberg. The publication combined technical information, product commentary, software coverage, and community-oriented reporting for Apple II users. Because the title created a trademark concern with Apple Computer, it was later renamed A2-Central. In its final year, A2-Central was distributed in a disk-only format and was edited by Doug Cuff. Resource Central expanded beyond a single newsletter into a family of publications addressing distinct Apple-related technologies and creative uses. A2-Central On Disk provided a disk-based version of the newsletter together with supplemental material intended to improve accessibility for blind users, as well as selected shareware and freeware. Script-Central focused on HyperCard, Apple’s authoring and information-management environment, while Studio-City covered HyperStudio, a competing hypermedia product. HyperActive addressed multimedia arts and reflected the company’s interest in the emerging combination of computing, education, and digital media. The company also created a durable event business. It founded the A2-Central Summer Conference, an Apple II gathering held in the Kansas City area. Attendees quickly nicknamed the event KansasFest, a name combining the region’s location with the naming convention of AppleFest, another prominent Apple II event. Although Resource Central later ceased operations, KansasFest continued as an annual Apple II community event, giving the company an influence that outlasted its publishing operations. Late in its existence, Resource Central attempted to broaden its audience beyond Apple users by launching Open Windows. The monthly publication was designed to orient Apple users to Microsoft Windows. It was distributed on disk in an executable ZIP format and, after decompression, operated as a Windows Help application. The publication lasted one year and did not reverse the company’s declining fortunes. Resource Central went out of business in February 1995. Its historical importance rests less on corporate scale than on its role as an information hub for a technically engaged user community. Through newsletters, disk publications, software distribution, specialized coverage, and KansasFest, it helped document and organize Apple II culture during a period when personal-computer publishing was closely tied to enthusiast communities. In July 2010, the Open-Apple and broader Resource Central catalog was announced as being reclassified under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, making substantial historical material more accessible for reuse.

Resource Central emerged in Overland Park, Kansas, as a publisher focused on the Apple II personal-computer community. Its founder, Tom Weishaar, had written for Softalk and had worked as an author for Beagle Bros software, giving the company a combination of editorial, technical, and software-industry experience. Rather than functioning as a general-interest publisher, Resource Central concentrated on the needs of technically active Apple II owners and developers. The company’s central publication was Open-Apple, a monthly newsletter edited by Weishaar, Dennis Doms, and Ellen Konowitz Rosenberg. It became a key part of Resource Central’s identity and addressed the Apple II ecosystem through a mixture of information and commentary. The title was eventually changed to A2-Central because of a trademark issue involving Apple Computer. In the publication’s last year, it moved to a disk-only format under editor Doug Cuff. Resource Central built a broader publishing portfolio around software platforms and creative computing. A2-Central On Disk supplied a disk-based edition of the newsletter, additional material intended to assist blind readers, and selected shareware and freeware. Script-Central was dedicated to HyperCard, while Studio-City concentrated on HyperStudio. HyperActive covered multimedia arts. These publications show the company’s attempt to serve specialized groups within the wider personal-computing market rather than treating Apple II users as a single undifferentiated audience. The company’s most enduring institutional contribution was KansasFest. Initially organized as the A2-Central Summer Conference, the event was quickly given the KansasFest nickname by attendees. The name referenced both the Kansas City-area location and AppleFest, another major Apple II gathering. Resource Central therefore operated not only as a publisher but also as a community organizer, creating an in-person forum for users, developers, and enthusiasts. KansasFest survived the company itself and continued as an annual event. Near the end of Resource Central’s life, the company tried to address the growth of Microsoft Windows with Open Windows. The publication was aimed at Apple users who wanted an introduction to Windows and was delivered on disk as an executable ZIP package. Once unpacked, it ran as a Windows Help file application. Although the experiment achieved some popularity, it lasted only one year and did not prevent Resource Central’s decline. Resource Central closed in February 1995. Its business ended during a period when specialist computer publishing was being reshaped by changing platforms, distribution methods, and the development of online information sources. Nevertheless, its newsletters and events left a significant record of Apple II culture. In July 2010, the company’s Open-Apple and wider catalog was announced as reclassified under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, improving the ability of historians and enthusiasts to preserve, study, and share the material.

• 2010

  Catalog released under Creative Commons licensing

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  The Open-Apple and Resource Central catalog was announced as reclassified under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

• 1995

  Business ceased

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  Resource Central went out of business in February.

• Resource Central founded in Overland Park

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  Tom Weishaar founded Resource Central as a publisher serving the Apple II community in the Kansas City area.

• Launch of Open-Apple

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  The company established its flagship monthly Apple II newsletter, Open-Apple.

• Open-Apple renamed A2-Central

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  The newsletter adopted the A2-Central name in response to a trademark concern involving Apple Computer.

• KansasFest established

  [1]Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org

  Resource Central founded the A2-Central Summer Conference, later known as KansasFest, an Apple II conference and expo.

A specialist enthusiast publisher serving Apple II users through technical newsletters, disk-based publications, software-related content, and community events.

• Apple II newsletter

  Open-Apple

  Open-Apple was Resource Central’s flagship monthly newsletter for Apple II users. Edited by Tom Weishaar, Dennis Doms, and Ellen Konowitz Rosenberg, it formed the core of the company’s publishing program and helped communicate technical, software, and community information within the Apple II ecosystem. The title was later changed because of a trademark concern involving Apple Computer.

• Apple II newsletter

  A2-Central

  A2-Central was the renamed successor to Open-Apple. The change allowed Resource Central to continue publishing an Apple II-focused newsletter without retaining the earlier title that raised a trademark issue. In its final year, A2-Central became a disk-only publication edited by Doug Cuff.

• Disk-based publication

  A2-Central On Disk

  A2-Central On Disk delivered the newsletter in disk-based form and included supplemental content for Apple II users. Its materials included features intended to help blind users read the publication, along with selected shareware and freeware, making it both an editorial product and a software-distribution vehicle.

• HyperCard publication

  Script-Central

  Script-Central was a specialist publication devoted to HyperCard, Apple’s software environment for creating linked information systems and interactive applications. It was edited by Bruce "HangTime" Caplin and Bo Monroe and extended Resource Central’s coverage from general Apple II computing into a specific authoring and creative software platform.

• HyperStudio publication

  Studio-City

  Studio-City focused on HyperStudio, a hypermedia authoring product used to create interactive presentations and educational or multimedia materials. Edited by Dean Esmay and Bo Monroe, the publication reflected Resource Central’s interest in emerging forms of personal-computer publishing and multimedia creation.

• Multimedia arts publication

  HyperActive

  HyperActive was a Resource Central publication devoted to multimedia arts. It represented the company’s expansion into creative computing and digital media topics beyond conventional Apple II technical coverage.

• Windows-oriented disk publication

  Open Windows

  Open Windows was a late Resource Central publication intended to help Apple users understand Microsoft Windows. It was distributed monthly on disk in an executable ZIP format and opened as a Windows Help file after decompression. The publication ran for one year and did not restore the company’s business.

• Apple II conference and expo

  KansasFest

  KansasFest began as the A2-Central Summer Conference and was organized by Resource Central in the Kansas City area. Attendees supplied the KansasFest nickname, combining the regional setting with the naming style of AppleFest. The event became one of the company’s most lasting contributions and continued annually after Resource Central closed.

• 2010

  Reclassify the catalog under Creative CommonsOther

  Background

  Historical Resource Central and Open-Apple material remained valuable to Apple II researchers and enthusiasts after the publisher’s closure.

  Action taken

  The catalog was announced as reclassified under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

  Aftermath

  The licensing change enabled broader preservation, study, and reuse of the company’s archival publications.

  Source

• Rename Open-Apple as A2-CentralOther

  Background

  Resource Central’s flagship newsletter used a title that created a trademark concern with Apple Computer.

  Action taken

  The publication was renamed A2-Central and continued under the new identity.

  Aftermath

  A2-Central remained the successor publication and was later distributed in a disk-only format during its final year.

  Source

• Launch Open Windows for Microsoft Windows usersStrategy

  Background

  Late in the company’s life, Resource Central attempted to broaden its Apple-oriented audience as Microsoft Windows became increasingly important.

  Action taken

  The company published Open Windows monthly on disk in an executable ZIP and Windows Help format.

  Aftermath

  The publication lasted one year and did not prevent Resource Central from going out of business in February 1995.

  Source

1. 1Resource Centralen.wikipedia.org