CalyxOS does. It asks in a setup similar to what most common phones use with their stock ROM. MicroG is probably installed, but it’s services are turned off.

Do you use any app from aurora or outside fdroid? If your answer is no, than you can use android without a GMS package.

Yes, there’s a few. My favorite music player, a local public transport app, a file manager… such things. They work fine. I was already not touching “corporate apps” with a 10 feet pole for a long time, so I don’t get to experience their issues.

Also as I wrote, location won’t work for you underground or inside concrete buildings. If you are fine with these kind of limitations than you can obviously.

How would it otherwise? Network based location?

Marwin (the main developer of microg) said in some interview that he doesn’t want microg to exist, and in a perfect world we shouldn’t need such workaround. I would be also happy if android wouldn’t depend this muhc on google

I totally agree. This is part of the reason I don’t want to turn it on, ever. I don’t want to use apps that support that shit, even unknowingly.