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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>wheel bit</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../W.html" title="W"/><link rel="previous" href="wheel.html" title="wheel"/><link rel="next" href="wheel-of-reincarnation.html" title="wheel of reincarnation"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">wheel bit</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="wheel.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><th width="60%" align="center">W</th><td width="20%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="wheel-of-reincarnation.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="wheel-bit"/><dt xmlns="" id="wheel-bit"><b>wheel bit</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> A privilege bit that allows the possessor to perform some restricted
operation on a timesharing system, such as read or write any file on the
system regardless of protections, change or look at any address in the
running monitor, crash or reload the system, and kill or create jobs and
user accounts. The term was invented on the TENEX operating system, and
carried over to TOPS-20, XEROX-IFS, and others. The state of being in a
privileged logon is sometimes called <span class="firstterm">wheel
mode</span>. This term entered the Unix culture from TWENEX in the
mid-1980s and has been gaining popularity there (esp. at university
sites). See also <a href="../R/root.html"><i class="glossterm">root</i></a>.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="wheel.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../W.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="wheel-of-reincarnation.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">wheel<EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"><EFBFBD>wheel of reincarnation</td></tr></table></div></body></html>