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FTW

ftw is an acronym with multiple meanings in different contexts. The most common usage in online communication is as an abbreviation for “for the win,” used to express enthusiasm, approval, or celebration of a choice, outcome, or action. It became widespread in English-language forums, gaming communities, and social media in the early 2000s. Capitalization varies, with FTW appearing in titles or for emphasis, but the meaning is typically the same.

In computing, ftw stands for “file tree walk.” It refers to a function in POSIX-like systems that

Other uses of ftw are rare and highly context-dependent. Beyond the slang meaning and the directory-walking

traverses
a
directory
hierarchy
and
invokes
a
callback
for
each
file
and
directory
encountered
during
a
depth-first
search.
The
function
is
typically
declared
in
the
header
ftw.h
and
is
used
for
tasks
such
as
searching,
collecting
metadata,
or
performing
actions
on
files.
Because
of
its
limitations
and
potential
for
resource
exhaustion,
ftw
has
largely
been
superseded
by
nftw,
which
offers
more
control
and
safer
behavior,
but
ftw
remains
available
on
many
systems
for
compatibility.
function,
the
acronym
may
appear
in
specialized
jargon
or
as
an
acronym
for
organization
names
or
project
titles,
but
those
uses
are
not
as
widespread.
In
most
general
references,
ftw
is
understood
primarily
as
either
“for
the
win”
in
informal
communication
or
“file
tree
walk”
in
a
computing
setting.