Well, providing it's not a hardware failure, you'd only need a Knoppix CD to get you back online.
Well obviously not everyone has one, especially those limited to dial up, as already mentioned in this very thread. The smart thing to do is stick with what works well for 90% of us, and not go off on some obscure fairy tale being pushed on us by liberals. But if you do want to involve yourself with obscure liberals, at least stick to Apple, being a decent enough wholly-owned US product.