Update about page and simplify footer

Author: ThomasGravekamp

_config.yml

@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ title: "STM32-base project"
 logo: "/assets/img/logos/STM32-base_logo_no_text_transparent.png"
 author: "Thomas Gravekamp"
 description: >
-  The STM32-base project provides its users with a simple and easy to use base
-  project for working with STM32 microcontrollers.
+  The STM32-base project is meant for students and hobbyists. The goal of the
+  STM32-base project is to provide a simple and easy to use base project for
+  working with STM32 microcontrollers.
 
 mainMenu:
   - name: "Home"
@@ -28,38 +29,3 @@ mainMenu:
   - name: "Github"
     url: "https://github.com/STM32-base"
     external: true
-
-footerMenu:
-  - name: "Home"
-    url: ""
-    external: false
-  - name: "About"
-    url: "general/about"
-    external: false
-  - name: "Privacy Policy"
-    url: "general/privacy-policy"
-    external: false
-  - name: "License"
-    url: "general/license"
-    external: false
-  - name: "Blue Pill board"
-    url: "boards/STM32F103C8T6-Blue-Pill"
-    external: false
-  - name: "Black Pill board"
-    url: "boards/STM32F103C8T6-Black-Pill"
-    external: false
-  - name: "Getting started with STM32"
-    url: "guides/getting-started"
-    external: false
-
-socialsMenu:
-  - icon: "fas fa-home"
-    url: "https://stm32-base.org/"
-  - icon: "fab fa-github"
-    url: "https://github.com/STM32-base"
-
-footer:
-  - >
-    <p>This website is hosted on <a href="https://pages.github.com/">Github pages</a>.
-    The STM32-base project is <i>in no way</i> affiliated with <a href="https://www.st.com/">STMicroelectronics</a>.</p>
-    <p><a href="https://jeffhuang.com/designed_to_last/">This page was designed to last</a>.</p>

_layouts/base.html

@@ -53,25 +53,12 @@
             <div class="wrapper">
                 <div class="footer-columns">
                     <div class="footer-column">
-                        <nav>
-                            <menu class="footer-menu">
-                                {%- for item in footer -%}
-                                <li><a href="{% if item.external == false %}{{ site.url }}/{% endif %}{{ item.url }}">{{ item.name }}</a></li>
-                                {%- endfor -%}
-                            </menu>
-                        </nav>
+                        <p>This is the <a href="https://stm32-base.org">STM32-base project website</a>. Learn more <a href="https://stm32-base.org/general/about">about</a> the STM32-base project or check out this project on <a href="https://github.com/STM32-base">Github</a>. The STM32-base project is <i>in no way</i> affiliated with <a href="https://www.st.com">STMicroelectronics</a>.</p>
                     </div>
                     <div class="footer-column">
-                        {{ site.footer }}
+                        <p>This website is hosted on <a href="https://pages.github.com/">Github Pages</a>. This page is <a href="https://jeffhuang.com/designed_to_last/">designed to last</a>. Check out which <a href="https://stm32-base.org/general/license">licenses</a> apply to this website and its contents. Check out the <a href="https://stm32-base.org/general/privacy-policy">Privacy policy</a>.</p>
                     </div>
                 </div>
-                <div class="social-icons">
-                    <ul>
-                        {%- for item in socials -%}
-                        <li><a href="{{ item.url }}"><i class="{{ item.icon }}"></i></a></li>
-                        {%- endfor -%}
-                    </ul>
-                </div>
             </div>
         </footer>
         <script src="{{ '/assets/js/scale.fix.js' | relative_url }}"></script>

_sass/layout.scss

@@ -161,34 +161,6 @@ body {
     margin: 0;
 }
 
-.social-icons ul {
-    list-style: none;
-    padding: 0;
-    margin: 0 auto;
-    display: table;
-
-    &:after {
-        content: "";
-        clear: both;
-    }
-
-    li {
-        float: left;
-        padding: 0;
-    }
-
-    a {
-        display: block;
-        margin: .25rem;
-        padding: .75rem;
-        text-align: center;
-        width: 1.5rem;
-        height: 1.5rem;
-        line-height: 1.5rem;
-        border: $border-style-default;
-    }
-}
-
 @media screen and (max-width: $screen-width-threshold) {
     body {
         word-wrap: break-word;

general/about.md

@@ -1,21 +1,25 @@
 ---
-title: "About this project"
+title: "About"
 ---
 
 # {{ page.title }}
 
-The purpose of the STM32-base project is to provide a simple and easy to use base project for working with STM32 microcontrollers. This project is intended for those who want to know how everything they're using works.
+The [STM32-base project]({{ site.url }}) is mostly meant for students and hobbyists. The goal of the STM32-base project is to provide a simple and easy to use base project for learning about and experimenting with [STM32 microcontrollers](https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32-32-bit-arm-cortex-mcus.html).
 
-Most tutorials, guides, and projects are focussed on getting you started as fast as possible. They are written with the assumption that the make files, linker scripts, startup code, and CMSIS are already present and consider them black boxes.
+Another big part of the STM32-base project is the [development board section]({{ site.url }}/boards/) on this website. That section almost became a project in itself. It became increasingly important to the STM32 community after the stm32duino wiki went offline.
 
-A lot of important and interesting information is left out of tutorials and guides because of that assumption. When working with these microcontrollers, I _do_ want to know how everything works. That was the main reason I started this project.
+## How it started
 
-I had no experience with bare-metal programming microcontrollers prior to this project. I took a deep dive into the world of programming STM32 microcontrollers. As I learned more and more, I felt the need for some place to document my findings.
+I first read about the Blue Pill on a [local hackerspace's website](https://revspace.nl/STM32). Someone had written a guide on how to get started with stm32duino and the Blue Pill. I soon ordered some [Blue Pill boards]({{ site.url }}/boards/STM32F103C8T6-Blue-Pill) after I read more about the features of the [STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller](https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32-32-bit-arm-cortex-mcus/stm32-mainstream-mcus/stm32f1-series/stm32f103/stm32f103c8.html).
 
-That was the moment this project started. This project merely scratches the surface of programming STM32 microcontrollers and is nowhere near complete. There is so much to more learn and discover.
+I wanted to experiment with the CAN bus controller on these microcontrollers. However, when using an Arduino bootloader meant that the USB controller was already in use. The problem here is that the USB controller and the CAN bus controller share a dedicated SRAM memory on that device. I then decided to look into bare-metal programming STM32 microcontrollers. How hard could it be?
 
-I hope that this project is helpful for those who want to start working with STM32 microcontrollers and feel the same need to know how everything works. To learn more about me and the things I do, visit my website at [thomas-gravekamp.nl](https://thomas-gravekamp.nl).
+I started looking for tutorials which would explain to me how to set up a toolchain, and more importantly, why you need things like linker scripts and startup code and how they work. Most tutorials, however, were focussed on getting you started as fast as possible. They were written with the assumption that the makefiles, linker scripts, startup code, and CMSIS are already present and considered them black boxes.
 
-I am in no way affiliated with [STMicroelectronics](https://www.st.com). This is just a personal hobby project.
+I don't like that. I _do_ want to know how everything works. That's why I started this project. I started gathering information from many sources and put it all together. And still, this project is not nearly as far as I would like it to be. But progress is made every now and then, and that is the most important thing.
+
+I hope that this project helps out those who currently are where I was when I started this project. To learn more about me and the things I do, visit my website at [thomas-gravekamp.nl](https://thomas-gravekamp.nl).
+
+I am in _no way affiliated_ with [STMicroelectronics](https://www.st.com). This is just a personal project.
 
  \- _Thomas Gravekamp_