How to set up sync in Google Chrome

Google Chrome lets you sync your bookmarks and extensions so you don't have to add or transfer them to your other computers. Follow these three quick steps for enabling sync on Google Chrome.

Having multiple computers can be great when one of them is a laptop for mobile computing and another stays at home for the family.

The beginning of the end of the private mail server

Thanks to overzealous filtering by mail relays, the small mail server is becoming an endangered species

With some sadness, I have to acknowledge that self-maintained email services may be destined for the rubbish heap, tossed aside in a whirlwind of hand-wringing spam and virus concerns, as well as a general movement to managed email services. The fat lady may not have sung yet, but she appears to be drawing that fateful breath.

The 5 worst big data privacy risks (and how to guard against them)

There are enormous benefits from big data analytics, but also massive potential for exposure. Here's how to protect yourself and your employees

The collection and manipulation of big data, as its proponents have been saying for several years now, can result in real-world benefits: Advertisements focused on what you actually want to buy; smart cars that can call for an ambulance if you're in an accident; wearable or implantable devices that can monitor your health and notify your doctor if something is going wrong.

R, Swift soar in language search popularity in 2014

Stalwarts like Java, PHP, and C++ remain highly popular but are dropping in Tiobe's year-end ratings

When it comes to programming language trends, 2014 has shown that big data and Web programming are hot and anything Apple touches will gain traction.

How to fill out a PDF form without software

Need to add text to a PDF that doesn't support editing? No problem -- and no extra software required.

Not long ago, my wife called from work. "I have to get this form turned in before 5, but the printer's broken. It's a PDF. I can open it, but there's no way to fill it out. What do I do?"

Been there. PDFs are great for sharing documents, but not always for editing them. That's not too surprising when you consider that a PDF is really just an image, not raw text. And unless the file was generated in such a way as to allow editing (by which I mean the addition of text, like for a form), you often have little option but to print it, fill it out by hand, then scan or fax it wherever it needs to go.

Android's Jack and Jill compilers head uphill to developers

Android's new, largely undocumented compilers are still works in progress, but aim to speed up the compilation process

With Android 5.0 Lollipop now winging its way to phones, Google has quietly made changes to Android's compiler tools as well. New for developers is a pair of compilers, code-named Jack and Jill, designed to speed up Android app creation.

Keep out hijackers: Secure your app store dev account

Stolen credentials are blamed for a fraudulent App Store offering -- and could easily have been prevented

Earlier this week, my colleague Simon Phipps discovered several fraudulent apps on the Apple App Store. He was able to reach one of the developers, who claimed his Apple developer credentials had been stolen, and someone else put up the fake version of Quickoffice using those credentials.

If those credentials were stolen, they didn't need to be — Apple has a strong second-factor authentication system in place to prevent account hijacking. But it was rolled out only in the last year, so many developers may not have implemented it, relying instead on the still-available, basic security system that isn't as secure.