wizard
n.
sorcerer; whiz; genius; magician; part of a program which helps a user perform an operation effectively (Computers)
adj.
exceptional, extraordinary, fantastic (British Slang)
Wizard
Wizard
(n.)
One devoted to the black art; a magician; a conjurer; a sorcerer; an enchanter.
(n.)
A wise man; a sage.
(a.)
Haunted by wizards.
(a.)
Enchanting; charming.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter.
About
wizard
1. A person who knows how a complex piece of software or hardware works (that is, who
groks it); especially someone who can find and fix bugs quickly in an emergency. Someone is a
hacker if he or she has general hacking ability, but is a wizard with respect to something only if he or she has specific detailed knowledge of that thing. A good hacker could become a wizard for something given the time to study it.
2. A person who is permitted to do things forbidden to ordinary people; one who has
wheel privileges on a system.
3. A Unix expert, especially a Unix systems programmer. This usage is well enough established that "Unix Wizard" is a recognised job title at some corporations and to most headhunters.
See
guru,
lord high fixer. See also
deep magic,
heavy wizardry,
incantation,
magic,
mutter,
rain dance,
voodoo programming,
wave a dead chicken.
4. An interactive help utility that guides the user through a potentially complex task, such as configuring a
PPP driver to work with a new
modem. Wizards are often implemented as a sequence of
dialog boxes which the user can move forward and backward through, filling in the details required. The implication is that the expertise of a human wizard in one of the above senses is encapsulated in the software wizard, allowing the average user to perform expertly.
[
Jargon File]
(1998-09-07)
wizard mode
<
games> [
rogue] A special access mode of a program or system, usually password protected, that permits some users godlike privileges. Generally not used for
operating systems themselves ("root mode" or "wheel mode" would be used instead). This term is often used with respect to games that have editable state.
(c) Copyright 1993 by Denis Howe
Wizard
To dream of a wizard, denotes you are going to have a big family, which will cause you much inconvenience as well as displeasure. For young people, this dream implies loss and broken engagements.
Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, or "What's in a dream": a scientific and practical exposition; By Gustavus Hindman, 1910. For the open domain e-text see:
Guttenberg Project