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{{Short description|Type of user account in Unix systems}}
A '''wheel war''' is a contest between priviledged users on a shared, on-line computer system. Each discovers (or invents) ways to intefere with the other's use of the system - generally as a practical joke, or a way of blowing off steam. The term originated in the late 1960s or early 1970s, when a "big wheel" (or "wheel") was a user with special powers.
In ] ]s, the term '''''wheel''''' refers to a ] with a ''wheel bit'', a system setting that provides additional special ] that empower a user to execute restricted ]s that ordinary user accounts cannot access.<ref name=jargonwheel>{{cite web|title=Wheel |url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/W/wheel.html |access-date=2017-04-22 |work= Jargon File 4.4.7 |publisher=Eric S. Raymond }}</ref><ref name=jargonwheelbit/>

== Origins ==
The term ''wheel'' was first applied to computer user privilege levels after the introduction of the ] ], later distributed under the name ] in the 1960s and early 1970s.<ref name=jargonwheelbit>{{cite web|title=Wheel bit |url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/W/wheel-bit.html |access-date=2017-04-22 |work= Jargon File 4.4.7 |publisher=Eric S. Raymond }}</ref><ref name=jargontwenex>{{cite web |title= TWENEX|url= http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/TWENEX.html |access-date=2008-09-12 |work=Jargon File 4.4.7 |publisher=Eric S. Raymond }}</ref> The term was derived from the slang phrase '']'', referring to a person with great power or influence.<ref name=jargonwheel/>

In the 1980s, the term was imported into ] culture due to the migration of operating system developers and users from TENEX/TOPS-20 to Unix.<ref name=jargonwheelbit/>

== Wheel group ==
Modern Unix systems generally use ] as a ] protocol to control access privileges. The ''wheel'' group is a special user group used on some Unix systems, mostly ] systems,{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} to control access to the ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://man.openbsd.org/su|title=su(1) - OpenBSD manual pages|website=man.openbsd.org|access-date=2018-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=su&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=FreeBSD+11.1-RELEASE+and+Ports&arch=default&format=html|title=su|website=www.freebsd.org|access-date=2018-05-05}}</ref> or ] command, which allows a user to masquerade as another user (usually the ]).<ref name=jargonwheel/><ref name=jargonwheelbit/><ref name=levi>{{cite book|title=UNIX Administration: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for Effective Systems and Network Management |first=Bozidar |last=Levi |publisher=CRC Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-8493-1351-1 |page=207}}</ref> Debian and its derivatives create a group called <code>sudo</code> with purpose similar to that of a ''wheel'' group.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why is Debian not creating the 'wheel' group by default? |url=https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/4460/why-is-debian-not-creating-the-wheel-group-by-default |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Unix & Linux Stack Exchange |language=en}}</ref>

== Wheel war ==
The phrase '''wheel war''', which originated at ],<ref name=jargon1990>{{cite web |title= Jargon File |author= Raymond|display-authors=etal |url= http://jargon-file.org/archive/jargon-2.1.1.dos.txt |work=Jargon File 2.1.1 |access-date=2016-08-15 |publisher=Eric S. Raymond}}</ref> is a term used in ], first documented in the 1983 version of ]. A 'wheel war' was a user conflict in a ] (''see also: ]'') computer system, in which students with ] would attempt to lock each other out of a university's computer system, sometimes causing unintentional harm to other users.<ref name=jargon1983>{{cite web |title= Jargon File |author= Steele|display-authors=etal |url= http://jargon-file.org/archive/jargon-1.5.0.dos.txt |work=Jargon File 1.5.0 |access-date=2016-08-15}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

]
]

Latest revision as of 21:23, 11 September 2024

Type of user account in Unix systems

In Unix operating systems, the term wheel refers to a user account with a wheel bit, a system setting that provides additional special system privileges that empower a user to execute restricted commands that ordinary user accounts cannot access.

Origins

The term wheel was first applied to computer user privilege levels after the introduction of the TENEX operating system, later distributed under the name TOPS-20 in the 1960s and early 1970s. The term was derived from the slang phrase big wheel, referring to a person with great power or influence.

In the 1980s, the term was imported into Unix culture due to the migration of operating system developers and users from TENEX/TOPS-20 to Unix.

Wheel group

Modern Unix systems generally use user groups as a security protocol to control access privileges. The wheel group is a special user group used on some Unix systems, mostly BSD systems, to control access to the su or sudo command, which allows a user to masquerade as another user (usually the super user). Debian and its derivatives create a group called sudo with purpose similar to that of a wheel group.

Wheel war

The phrase wheel war, which originated at Stanford University, is a term used in computer culture, first documented in the 1983 version of The Jargon File. A 'wheel war' was a user conflict in a multi-user (see also: multiseat) computer system, in which students with administrative privileges would attempt to lock each other out of a university's computer system, sometimes causing unintentional harm to other users.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wheel". Jargon File 4.4.7. Eric S. Raymond. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  2. ^ "Wheel bit". Jargon File 4.4.7. Eric S. Raymond. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  3. "TWENEX". Jargon File 4.4.7. Eric S. Raymond. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  4. "su(1) - OpenBSD manual pages". man.openbsd.org. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  5. "su". www.freebsd.org. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  6. Levi, Bozidar (2002). UNIX Administration: A Comprehensive Sourcebook for Effective Systems and Network Management. CRC Press. p. 207. ISBN 0-8493-1351-1.
  7. "Why is Debian not creating the 'wheel' group by default?". Unix & Linux Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  8. Raymond; et al. "Jargon File". Jargon File 2.1.1. Eric S. Raymond. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  9. Steele; et al. "Jargon File". Jargon File 1.5.0. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
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