I think object names and paths are WTF-16, that's where NT kernel is involved. Note that Microsoft doesn't call it that way, but it's a useful naming distinctio

I think object names and paths are WTF-16, that's where NT kernel is involved. Note that Microsoft doesn't call it that way, but it's a useful naming distinction regardless. Applications can of course use whatever they please. Just need to be careful with the possible invalid object or file name surrogate pairs, not to fail on those and to pass them with alteration. Well, misleading in that sense you did get the downvotes... That said I find WTF-16 pretty appropriate name for what Windows does internally on the kernel level.