You're right cx2, you can run JAWS from a flash drive for as long as you need to if the computer you plug it into is authorized via a network server. I used mine in summer 2006 while I was taking a class, and everyone else was jealous because I didn't have to mess with changing settings...it just acted like JAWS on my computer at home. One guy had to keep messing with JAWS speech settings every day because the girl using the computer before him liked the british speech. I still say they need to update that portable JAWS version to 9.0, and make it possible to use a braille display! I don't use one all that often (I am right now as my PAC Mate is ready to send off for the upgrade), but some people need the braille display to use the computer at all. Not only that, but theoretically being able to authorize a thumb drive via PAC Mate desktop would be sweet, although that might not be practical given that you need active sync for that.
System Access to Go is a neat idea too. If they could do something like that for JAWS/Window-Eyes/Hal that would be cool too, although IMO for now it's unlikely given the video intercepter you have to install on the PC.
the reason I would really like to be able to have a way to authorize JAWS on a thumb drive is for that exact sinario you mentioned cx2, college/university settings. Mine have nothing on any of their computers at all, except in the disability services center. They just upgraded their computers and put Window-Eyes on one because it is cheaper than JAWS and they don't seem to like FS. Fine if they want to do that, but 1 the computer that has WE is in use alot, and 2 I don't like Window-Eyes, even though VR people try to convince me that it is better than JAWS on the Internet. IMO I shouldn't have to use a screen reader that I don't like if I don't want to. Also, the computers in the computer labs are set up so that somehow everything gets deleted that was installed when they reboot to keep people from putting software on them, so there goes installing JAWS on them. I wish I could take a flash drive over there with JAWS and a paper on it, and work on it like everyone else, since it is easier for me to do that when I'm not on my own computer. The PAC Mate is great, but you can only do so much editing on there before you have to transfer the file to a PC to make it look pretty.
</rant>
Brian