diff -urN bogofilter-0.96.4.orig/src/configfile.c bogofilter-0.96.4/src/configfile.c
--- bogofilter-0.96.4.orig/src/configfile.c	2005-10-15 23:03:11.000000000 +0200
+++ bogofilter-0.96.4/src/configfile.c	2005-11-03 16:26:38.844514992 +0100
@@ -148,7 +148,13 @@
     bool ok = true;
     int lineno = 0;
     FILE *fp;
-
+    char *home_etc = getenv("HOME_ETC");
+    if (home_etc && fname[0] == '~') {
+       char buffer[1024];
+       snprintf(buffer, 1024, "%s%s", home_etc, fname+1);
+       config_file_name=xstrdup(buffer);
+    } else
+   
     if (config_file_name != NULL)
 	xfree(config_file_name);
 
diff -urN bogofilter-0.96.4.orig/src/paths.c bogofilter-0.96.4/src/paths.c
--- bogofilter-0.96.4.orig/src/paths.c	2005-08-15 01:03:42.000000000 +0200
+++ bogofilter-0.96.4/src/paths.c	2005-11-03 16:28:51.672322096 +0100
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #ifndef __riscos__
     { PR_ENV_BOGO, "BOGOFILTER_DIR", NULL },
     { PR_ENV_BOGO, "BOGODIR",	     NULL },
-    { PR_ENV_HOME, "HOME",	     BOGODIR }
+    { PR_ENV_HOME, "HOME_ETC",	     BOGODIR }
 #else
     { PR_ENV_HOME, "Choices$Write",  BOGODIR },
     { PR_ENV_HOME, "Bogofilter$Dir", NULL },
@@ -274,6 +274,7 @@
     size_t path_size, env_size;
 
     env = getenv(var);
+    if (env == NULL && strcmp(var, "HOME_ETC") == 0) env = getenv("HOME");
     if (env == NULL || *env == '\0') return NULL;
 
     env_size = strlen(env);