All open source projects should be able to take GP's criticism, dev of "competitor" or otherwise — specifically because they're not products — they're public projects.
Both projects should absolutely be encouraged — and steered, if a user knows a better way.
Nobody is doing this. Calyx is taking a measured approach, as they see it, and is making commensurate claims: "CalyxOS is an Android mobile operating system that puts privacy and security into the hands of everyday users." Right on their website.
I am vehemently against absolutisms on security. Where that road goes is straight into a dick measuring contest and it's ugly. You only have to look at Moxie's terrible public behavior to see what the fallout from that approach looks like.
It's a poison in the security industry and it needs to be called out and stopped now. It rewards grown adults for acting like children. It's enough now.
Cite Torvalds' absolutism on not breaking userspace, too, while you're at it..
These projects are all forwarding their missions; it's not because they listened to your criticism about being too absolutist on goals they are passionate about.
The "dick measuring" you're seeing is how any niche group quickly scrambles to sift out the "truth". Geopolitics research threads, when airplanes go down mysteriously, new longboard gets released, whatever — the smartest people go back and forth with (at?) each other¹ until some form of consensus is reached, and the "herd immunity" or general knowledge of the community is improved.
¹(sometimes with far less civility than in this case!)
Not at all what I mean when I say I am vehemently against absolutisms on security. Any claim to superiority on security and subsequent trashing of others is rotten because it's not kind, not compassionate, not conducive to cooperation, the single greatest tool we have as humankind. We don't need more division in this space and we don't need people with a headful of their egos being affirmed for bad human behavior.
There are better ways of being critical of others without being an a**hole in public. That's the thrust of my argument. We'd all do well to hold these people to a better standard of behavior.