I love this page: https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.en.html
"Debian's Social Contract states the goal of making Debian entirely free software, and Debian conscientiously keeps nonfree software out of the official Debian system. However, Debian also maintains a repository of nonfree software."
So shipping free software isn't even enough for admission to the FSFs special club. Right. I've stopped listening to anything Stallman says.
I disagree. They have a moral value system, and they adhere to it. Just like (say) Roman Catholicism.
The FSF's point of view is that by providing repositories (which make installing a program a single command-line or a few GUI-clicks away) that's not functionally different from that being a part of the operating system. So providing repositories of nonfree software is functionally equivalent to including that software in the OS itself.
And to have software freedom, then all the software on a machine must respect the user's freedom; i.e. be free software.
In other news, water is wet.
More seriously, yeah there's a place for ideological organizations that broadcast their philosophy and won't budge when moneyed interests try to push them around. But such organizations also tend to be difficult to work with if you just want to get stuff done.
> So shipping free software isn't even enough for admission to the FSFs special club.
If you're free is designed to "lead others to make use of" nonfree software, then of course not: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
What is a "complete OS"? You always need to install some new packages.