Users having that access is not the same as the OS using that access for more than the bare minimum components and even giving it to apps based on a request prompt. Users need beyond that level of access to install GrapheneOS. It does not mean we think a production device should run a bunch of the OS as root and make it available to applications. GrapheneOS already has hardware-based virtualization where users have a development environment with root access without compromising the overall OS security for it. Running a bunch of different virtual machines is the right way to approach most of those things such as running agents locally for development without trusting them with direct access to anything.
Contrary to how you're portraying it, our own compatibility layer is fully open source software. microG exists to provide compatibility with apps using closed source Google libraries. Our compatibility layer exists to provide compatibility with closed source Google apps and apps using closed source Google code. Both are open source projects. Neither would have any significant real world use if apps weren't using Google's closed source libraries. We already have standalone network-based location, geocoding and other features. Those do not require compatibility with Google Play APIs and we disagree with it being strongly tied together.
GrapheneOS provides both standalone reimplementations of Google service features not tied to their closed source apps and libraries along with a compatibility layer for their closed source apps and libraries. All of our code for all of this is open source. microG is not an open source alternative to what we've built and are in the process of expanding ourselves. Both are open source and it's wrong to keep misleading people about what we provide and are building.
alt Hacker News
Users having that access is not the same as the OS using that access for more than the bare minimum components and even giving it to apps based on a request prompt. Users need beyond that level of access to install GrapheneOS. It does not mean we think a production device should run a bunch of the OS as root and make it available to applications. GrapheneOS already has hardware-based virtualization where users have a development environment with root access without compromising the overall OS security for it. Running a bunch of different virtual machines is the right way to approach most of those things such as running agents locally for development without trusting them with direct access to anything.
Contrary to how you're portraying it, our own compatibility layer is fully open source software. microG exists to provide compatibility with apps using closed source Google libraries. Our compatibility layer exists to provide compatibility with closed source Google apps and apps using closed source Google code. Both are open source projects. Neither would have any significant real world use if apps weren't using Google's closed source libraries. We already have standalone network-based location, geocoding and other features. Those do not require compatibility with Google Play APIs and we disagree with it being strongly tied together.
GrapheneOS provides both standalone reimplementations of Google service features not tied to their closed source apps and libraries along with a compatibility layer for their closed source apps and libraries. All of our code for all of this is open source. microG is not an open source alternative to what we've built and are in the process of expanding ourselves. Both are open source and it's wrong to keep misleading people about what we provide and are building.