> > Yes, that's what I was told.  I was also told that OpenBSD's ports
    > > system includes non-free programs.  Is that accurate too?
    > 
    > Strictly speaking, no.  If you unpack ports.tar.gz
    > you will find a bunch of makefiles, packing lists,
    > & c., all of which are free.

I should more precisely have said that the OpenBSD ports system
includes instructions for fetching, building and installing specific
non-free programs.  I usually simplify that to "includes" because I
figured anyone who knows about the ports system understands those
details, and because they don't change anything.

    It contains URL's to non-free software, and free Makefiles that
    knows how to build that non-free software.   But the entire ports
    tree has no non-free software in it at all.

    Does that make it non-free?

Even giving the URLs has the effect of referring people to those
non-free programs.  It gives those non-free programs legitimacy,
and thus contradicts the idea that "software should be free".

    Are all operating systems non-free then, because they can be used
    to write free Makefiles which compile non-free software?

No, that's a totally different question.

Q1: could your system support a port to install non-free program FOO.
Q2: does your system come with a port to install FOO.

The answer to Q1 is always yes.  I'm concerned with Q2.