1. Transitively, a person who knows how a complex piece of software
or hardware works (that is, who {grok}s it); esp. 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. The term `wizard' is also used intransitively of someone who has
extremely high-level hacking or problem-solving ability.
3. A person who is permitted to do things forbidden to ordinary
people; one who has {wheel} privileges on a system.
4. A Unix expert, esp. a Unix systems programmer. This usage is well
enough established that `Unix Wizard' is a recognized 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}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {deep magic}{frob}{guru}{incantation}{kahuna}{language lawyer}{lord high fixer}{magic number}{muggle}{mutter}{superprogrammer}{toad}{UTSL}{wank}{whacker}{wizard hat}]