I don't get it
What exactly is the point of releasing the code incrementally supposed to be? It's not like anybody can do anything with the code until it is complete. Are they reviewing the code to see if there are parts they don't want to release?
It is just a guess but, I think that HP feels that if they start doing anything reasonable regarding WebOS, no one will believe that it is actually HP. ☹️
They have a small team going through the entire code base, making sure that HP has the rights to release it in the first place. All sorts of licensing situations within a code base as large as that.
The last thing they want to do is get sued.