[tromp]

> If you ran out of numbers, the renum command would recompute all the line numbers for you.

This is the first time I heard of such a BASIC command, even though I grew up learning to program on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

Which of the home computers of the time had this command? Would it renumber in multiples of 10?

[Timwi]

To add to the multitude of existing comments: the C64 did not have it, but the C128 did.

[ok123456]

RENUM was in GW-BASIC. So, any IBM "Compatible" had this for sure. It was also in Microsoft BASIC-80 so it would be in older machines as well.

The optional second argument would change the step size. The default was 10.

[Doctor_Fegg]

Amstrad CPC (Locomotive BASIC) and the BBC Micro both had it. In the CPC implementation, at least, you could choose the starting line number and the increment, e.g. RENUM 100,5

[rahimnathwani]

IIRC BBC BASIC let you choose the renumber increment, but the ZX Spectrum didn't.

[Baldbvrhunter]

For approved choices :)

> AUTO10,1000

Silly

> _

[rahimnathwani]

Wow I just tried this out on an Electron emulator. It seems like the second parameter for RENUMBER is limited to a byte (255).

The first parameter is weird, though: if you put in a number that's too large, the system reports a syntax error. 10000,255 works, but 50000,255 doesn't.

[ikari_pl]

Isn't it because the line number is 16-bit unsigned int?

[rahimnathwani]

Great clue. Thanks!

RENUMBER takes maximum parameters of 32767 and 255.

But line numbers wrap! So if you do RENUMBER 32767,1 then your line numbers will go:

  32767
  0
  1
  2
  ...

[gsliepen]

Locomotive BASIC was also a very good BASIC implementation. I wrote a multiplayer game with background music in it, without having to resort to any PEEKs or POKEs like you would on a Commodore 64.

[eterps]

MSX supported that as well

[rented_mule]

Microsoft BASIC for Atari 400 and Atari 800 (which is distinct from the Atari BASIC that shipped with those computers) had a `RENUM` command that would renumber lines. New line numbers would start at 10 and increment by 10. Those defaults could be overridden.

https://archive.org/details/a8b_Atari_800_Basic_v1.0_1981_Mi...

[nox100]

Don't know which ones did. TRS-80, C-64, VIC-20, Atari 800, Apple II, did NOT

[Mountain_Skies]

Don't know about other TRS-80 models but the Color Computer did have a RENUM command. It worked well as long as all of your GOTO and GOSUB statements jumped to existing line numbers. I learned quickly to at least stub out a REM line if I was going to add a jump to a sub-routine/code block that I hadn't written yet.

[flohofwoe]

HC-BASIC, the common BASIC implementation on East German 8-bit computers (KC85/1../4, KC87, Z1013) has a RENUMBER command. Without args, it simply starts at the first existing line number and increments by 10. With args it was possible to move an existing range to a new starting line number and interval.

[pjmlp]

BASIC on the ZX was quite limiting, unless you were already enjoying 128K ZX Basic, or even better on CP/M for the +3A model with integrated floppy drive.

[ikari_pl]

which BASIC for CP/M did you use? (there's a few, and there was no standard, so feature parity is not guaranteed)

[pjmlp]

CP/M already had compilers for BASIC, but I don't recall the name, I only owned a Timex 2068, the 128K were owned by other folks in our group.

[ikari_pl]

I see. I think I've heard that Microsoft's BASIC was fairly popular, and I recently also downloaded BBC BASIC for CP/M - BBC BASIC is widely popular, but the only downside of its good documentation is that it doesn't say which version each thing is supported in.

[layer8]

Commodore Plus/4, C16/116 and C128 had it (BASIC V3.5 and up). COMAL on the C64 also had it.

[wsc981]

TI-99/4A had it, but not sure if it was included in TI BASIC or only on TI EXTENDED BASIC.

[indymike]

Can confirm - it worked in both.