diff -Nru althea-0.5.7/load_config.cpp althea-0.5.7.new/load_config.cpp
--- althea-0.5.7/load_config.cpp	Tue Jan 22 17:30:15 2002
+++ althea-0.5.7.new/load_config.cpp	Sat Mar 22 20:30:52 2003
@@ -22,14 +22,28 @@
 
 	bool savepassword=1, usessl=0, usesmtps=0;
 
-	//  Get the environment variable HOME, this is POSIX and Windows Compliant
-	home_directory=(char *)malloc(255);
-	strcpy(home_directory,getenv ("HOME"));
-	strcat(home_directory, "/");
-	strcat(home_directory, LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE); 
+	char *etc_dir = getenv("ETC_DIR");
+	if (etc_dir)
+	{
+		home_directory=(char *)malloc(255);
+		strcpy(home_directory,etc_dir);
+		strcat(home_directory, "/");
+		strcat(home_directory, ETC_DIR_CONFIG_FILE); 
 		
-	local_config_in.open(home_directory);
-	free(home_directory);
+		local_config_in.open(home_directory);
+		free(home_directory);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		//  Get the environment variable HOME, this is POSIX and Windows Compliant
+		home_directory=(char *)malloc(255);
+		strcpy(home_directory,getenv ("HOME"));
+		strcat(home_directory, "/");
+		strcat(home_directory, LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE); 
+		
+		local_config_in.open(home_directory);
+		free(home_directory);
+	}
 	rc_config_in.open(RC_CONFIG_FILE);
 	
 
diff -Nru althea-0.5.7/load_config.h althea-0.5.7.new/load_config.h
--- althea-0.5.7/load_config.h	Tue Jan 22 17:30:15 2002
+++ althea-0.5.7.new/load_config.h	Sat Mar 22 20:28:33 2003
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "promptwindow.h"
 
 #define LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE ".althearc"
+#define ETC_DIR_CONFIG_FILE "althearc"
 #define RC_CONFIG_FILE "/etc/althearc"
 
 extern Althea gAlthea;
diff -Nru althea-0.5.7/save_config.cpp althea-0.5.7.new/save_config.cpp
--- althea-0.5.7/save_config.cpp	Tue Jan 22 17:30:15 2002
+++ althea-0.5.7.new/save_config.cpp	Sat Mar 22 20:33:17 2003
@@ -16,12 +16,24 @@
   char* file_name;
   Configuration *config;
   
-  //  Get the environment variable HOME, this is POSIX and Windows Compliant
-  file_name=(char *)malloc (255);
-  strcpy(file_name, getenv ("HOME"));
-  strcat(file_name, "/"); 
-  strcat(file_name,LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE);
-  config_file.open(file_name);
+	char *etc_dir = getenv("ETC_DIR");
+	if (etc_dir)
+	{
+		file_name=(char *)malloc (255);
+  	strcpy(file_name, etc_dir);
+  	strcat(file_name, "/"); 
+  	strcat(file_name,ETC_DIR_CONFIG_FILE);
+  	config_file.open(file_name);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+	  //  Get the environment variable HOME, this is POSIX and Windows Compliant
+		file_name=(char *)malloc (255);
+  	strcpy(file_name, getenv ("HOME"));
+  	strcat(file_name, "/"); 
+  	strcat(file_name,LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE);
+  	config_file.open(file_name);
+	}
   if (gAlthea.get_Verbose())
     cout << "Saveing to " << file_name << endl;
 
diff -Nru althea-0.5.7/save_config.h althea-0.5.7.new/save_config.h
--- althea-0.5.7/save_config.h	Tue Jan 22 17:30:15 2002
+++ althea-0.5.7.new/save_config.h	Sat Mar 22 20:31:26 2003
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "crypto.h"
 
 #define LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE ".althearc"
+#define ETC_DIR_CONFIG_FILE "althearc"
 #define RC_CONFIG_FILE "/etc/althearc"
 
 //  The master function that saves the config in memory to disk