i hear ya, but embedded components die all too often as well, with no return to life once they 'fuse-out' internally, at least linux can be restarted... ;-)
While Linux can have it's quirks (but far more stable than windows) it's often a mismatched hardware issue from cheap distributors who don't know any better.
I use the term Linux to mean a customised kernel for the task, not the regular linux you download off the net, which is what some manufactures will still do.
Embedded controllers, CPLD's/FPGA's are being churned out just as much (and just as cheaply) as mainstream motherboard components, in fact the chips today aren't as robust as they were just 10-20 years ago, that's chinese short-cutting for you!
anyhoo enough rants.
Go make a system out of bamboo & coconut shells and let us know how you get on ;-)
