This looks just like their GPL source drop location. No build instructions, no readme etc.

This thread seems to confirm this notion: https://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?t=120535

Here is the one for Thecus: http://www.thecus.com/Downloads/GPL/ QNAP: https://sourceforge.net/projects/qosgpl/

And since they haven't published the latest versions they are in violation of the GPL.

Your link is people complaining that the source isn't being released fast enough... and Synology has told them it will be put on SourceForge when they're ready. There seems to be a lot of precedent for that to go how they said it will.

There's also an independent community that facilitate installing and using it on your own hardware including the latest version that's still waiting on the source dump.

Sure, no one needs that source code anyway because they are not adding anything of value. But if they are not complying the GPL license they are legally not allowed to use the GPL projects.

As an example for their relationship with upstream, they market the btrfs feature (https://www.synology.com/en-global/dsm/Btrfs ) but don't have anyone working on btrfs (and btrfs could surely need the help). I can see one patch set from them which hasn't made it into mainline ( https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/linux-btrfs/list/?submi... ).

> And since they haven't published the latest versions they are in violation of the GPL.

There are a few ways that they can comply with the GPL without posting the source on the web.

Proeject description: "The open source projects that ship with Synology NAS."

This is not the same thing as "The full source code for all components that ship with Synology NAS"

xpenology is an illegal mashup of some open source components with a large amount of binary blobs installed on top of it.

https://www.cachem.fr/xpenology-mot-fin/

It's fine if you want to use it, but don't kid yourself that you are using open source software.

To save effort, the 1.5G braswell-source.txz file, contains:

attr-2.4.44 tzdata linux-3.10.x u-boot-mv-3.5.9 gvfs-1.x freetds-0.x wvstreams-4.6.x systemd faac-1.28 upstart-1.x e2fsprogs-1.42-virtual-glibc freetype-2.x bridge-utils-1.4 bluez-4.x php-apcu-4.x ipmitool-1.8.x libpng-1.2.x libharu-2.x libcap-2.x libffi-3.x libusb-0.1.12 lnxlibnet gnupg-2.x synodb sysfsutils-2.1.0 nut-2.6 compat-wireless taglib-1.9.x imagemagick-6.9.x iptables-1.4.x readline-6.x apache-2.2.x-virtual-npn postgresql-9.3.x iproute2-2.6.31 zlib-1.x gzip-1.x libsynosmtp libnih-1.x libsoup-2.x sqlite-3.8.x imap-2007f netatalk-3.x u-boot-mv-3.6.0 hostapd-1 open-iscsi-2.0-871 mdadm ntfs-3g krb5-1.12.x gmp-6.x libevent-2.x apparmor-2.9.x procps-3.2.6 libxmltok-1.2 quota-tools-3.17 libical-0.x irqbalance backports libsynosdk-virtual-gpl libproxy-0.4.x Freescale_QorIQ_boot util-linux-2.x miniupnp-1.x iproute2-3.2.0 alsa-driver parted mhash-0.x bdb-5.x gnutls-3.2.x libdaemon-0.14 xtables-addons-1.x php-5.5.x ctdb-2.5.x coreutils-8.x e2fsprogs-1.42 ncurses-5.x-virtual-64 lame-398 nbnsd libgphoto2-2.1.99 alsa-lib-1.0.25 apache-2.2.x mDNSResponder-258.13 mod-fastcgi-2.x cups-1.5.x libexif-0.6.x tar-1.x debsig-verify-0.x php-5.5.x-virtual-module urftopdf kmod-16 openssh-6.x usbip-0.1.7 libpng-1.6.x curl-7.x pth-2.x xz-5.x gd-2.x libassuan-2.x neon-0.x libgcrypt-1.6.x rsync-3.x bdb.1.85 mbedtls-1.x bzip2-1.x wireless-tools.29 nettle-2.x uthash-1.9.x nss-pam-ldapd-0.8.x ssmtp-2.x wvdial-1.x usb-modeswitch-1.2.x libsynocore-virtual-gpl samba-4.x openssl-fips-2.0.x libdbi-0.9.x uclibc0929 cups-bjnp pcre-8.x u-boot-mv-3.5.3 sg3-utils ppp-2.4.x libaio-0.x libnl-2.x vmtouch u-boot-armada-2011.12 popt-1.x fuse-2.x libxml2-2.x syslog-ng-3.5.x libdbi-drivers-0.9.x u-boot-mv-3.4.4 eventlog-0.2.x libjpeg-turbo-1.x dosfstools28 u-boot-1.3.3 wget-1.x libksba-1.x intelce-utilities ndisc6-1.x x264 python-2.7.x opencore-amr-0.1.2 boost-1.x linux-firmware openssl-1.0.x wireless-iw cifs-utils-5.x libgpg-error-1.x iscsitarget-0.4.17 rp-pppoe-3.x busybox-1.16.1 json-c-0.x libmcrypt-2.5.8 logrotate-3.x dbus-glib-0.x openldap-2.4.x flex-2.5.4 u-boot-mv-3.4.27 util-linux-2.x-virtual-64 avahi-0.6.x gdbm-1.x glib-networking-2.x net-snmp-5.x ncurses-5.x ntp-4.2.8 flashcache jsoncpp expat-2.x libssh2-1.4.x lftp-4.x glib-2.x dnsmasq-2.x icu-53.x cyrus-sasl-2.1.22 ffmpeg-2.0.x linux-pam dbus-1.6.x suphp-0.7.x

other than

synodb libsynosmtp libsynosdk-virtual-gpl libsynocore-virtual-gpl

which are likely related to their SDK, is all standard linux packages.