[wmf]

FWIW the original IBM BladeCenter platform was developed before BMCs so it had a much smaller service processor per blade connected over an out of band RS-485 management bus to a chassis management module. It was closer to Oxide than what's being sold today. And then "Windows needs VGA" kicked in.

[EvanAnderson]

IBM gear, aside from Thinkpads and the EduQuest PCs, have never been a thing I've gotten to interact with. Their documentation was always very good (which I think implies a certain level of overall competence) Given their massive legacy in datacenters I can imagine their PC-based server gear probably benefited.