Tech Roundup: Microsoft Web Store, Games Are Green, Students Consider Engineering, More

Microsoft selling software over the web -- Microsoft'snew web store sells all of the company's software, from Office to Xbox 360 games. You can bet that its distribution and retail chain are finding this even worse than the regular diet of economic bad news as of late. [Source: TechCrunch]

Game companies in the black with growing green -- While other sectors of high tech are feeling the pinch, October sales data for games was more than healthy. Software sales were up 35 percent to $696.79 million; hardware grew five percent to $494.74 million. The only thing down was accessories. Lower prices seem to be helping enormously. [Source: GameDaily, Ars Technica]

HomeAway funding not quite as lush as it looked -- Many were surprised to hear about HomeAway getting $250 million for vacation home rental listings. But it seems that the number is a little deceptive, with some significant chunk going to buy back stock shares and early investors. It's a type of deal that a growing number of entrepreneurs are negotiating so they can see a payoff sooner, rather than later -- or never. [Source: GigaOM]

Forget the derivatives, I'll do them instead -- Math-savvy college students put off by the scream and crash of many financial institutions are looking again at engineering careers. [Source: BusinessWeek]

AMD best on Shanghai -- AMD'snew Shanghai quad-core 45nm chip seems to be what it needed. Now its Fusion chip is put off until 2011. In the meantime, its acquisition of graphics chip company ATI is fueling a fifth of the company's revenue. [Source: Computerworld, Ars Technica, InternetNews.com]

Papermaster countersues IBM -- IBM sued to keep ex-exec Mark Papermaster from joining Apple. Now the chip expert is suing in return -- and his former employer has to pony up a $3 million bond to secure the injunction keeping Papermaster from starting work. [Source: ZDNet's Between the Lines]