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I'm looking for a name/adjective to refer a software resource that is both free to access and safe to use from a security point of view.

The term is going to name the group of such resources in an operating system.

As an example think of *nix files like /dev/null and /dev/zero

So far the best I've found are

  • commons
  • public

With "commons" I link these resources to the common lands, as they are owned collectively by a number of persons; indeed Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "common" as "belonging to or shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group".

I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm not sure "commons" is appropriate, but "public" is usually opposed to "private" and in this scenario this is not what I want to express.

Is there another term I should use? Or is "commons" just right?

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    I'm almost certain you're expecting too much of a single word. But you need to add references (eg relevant dictionary definitions – or the lack thereof in specified dictionaries – of 'commons') to make your question appropriate for ELU.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 12:11
  • Commons and public refer to intellectual property rights, rather than software security issues.
    – Mick
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 12:12
  • @EdwinAshworth I hope I addressed the issue with the edit.
    – Giacomo Tesio
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 12:27
  • @Mick public in programming languages refers to something that is always available and visible; commons was used before intellectual property existed. As for software security the point is that this set of resources do not pose security risks to the host system.
    – Giacomo Tesio
    Commented Dec 26, 2016 at 12:28
  • There is no such thing as "safe to use".
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 27, 2016 at 2:36

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I would use unrestricted. From the Oxford American Dictionary:

Not limited in extent, number, scope, or action

This is not a perfect fit, as it mainly addresses the "free to use" part of your question, but being a *nix user myself, trust me, if it's a security risk, then it's restricted. ;)

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