strypey, it's important to note that the GNU Free System Distribution
Guidelines[1] have more strict requirements than the free software movement
overall (or the free functional data movement, which the same thing, but
covers our fight with a correct name), mainly because the GNU FSDG doesn't
accept the cases where a non-free functional data would be acceptable for
personal use or for development of free functional data capable of replacing
the very same non-free functional data[2].
So, free system distributions mustn't recommend non-free functional data. The
developers of the free system distribution can use non-free functional data
in order to develop a free replacement, but they can't pass the non-free
functional data along with the free system distribution.
They can pass it along between themselves or to a user that is willing to
help testing the free replacement together with the non-free functional data,
but you must understand that the free system distribution mustn't do that.
REFERENCES
[1] http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.en.html
[2] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/is-ever-good-use-nonfree-program.html
