-GNU Emacs interprets a double slash (which is not normally useful in
-file names) as, ``ignore everything before the second slash in the
-pair.'' In the example above. @samp{/u2/emacs/src/} is ignored, so
-you get @file{/etc/termcap}. The ignored part of the file name is
-dimmed if the terminal allows it; to disable this dimming, turn off
-File Name Shadow mode (a minor mode) with the command
-@kbd{M-x file-name-shadow-mode}.
-
- If the variable @code{insert-default-directory} is @code{nil}, the
-default directory is never inserted in the minibuffer---so the
-minibuffer starts out empty. Nonetheless, relative file name
-arguments are still interpreted based on the same default directory.
+Emacs interprets a double slash as ``ignore everything before the
+second slash in the pair.'' In the example above,
+@file{/u2/emacs/src/} is ignored, so the argument you supplied is
+@file{/etc/termcap}. The ignored part of the file name is dimmed if
+the terminal allows it (to disable this dimming, turn off File Name
+Shadow mode with the command @kbd{M-x file-name-shadow-mode}.)
+
+@cindex home directory shorthand
+ Emacs interprets @file{~/} as your home directory. Thus,
+@file{~/foo/bar.txt} specifies a file named @file{bar.txt}, inside a
+directory named @file{foo}, which is in turn located in your home
+directory. In addition, @file{~@var{user-id}/} means the home
+directory of a user whose login name is @var{user-id}. Any leading
+directory name in front of the @file{~} is ignored: thus,
+@file{/u2/emacs/~/foo/bar.txt} is equivalent to @file{~/foo/bar.txt}.
+
+ On MS-Windows and MS-DOS systems, where a user doesn't always have a
+home directory, Emacs uses several alternatives. For MS-Windows, see
+@ref{Windows HOME}; for MS-DOS, see
+@ifnottex
+@ref{MS-DOS File Names, HOME on MS-DOS}.
+@end ifnottex
+@iftex
+@ref{MS-DOS File Names, HOME on MS-DOS,, emacs, the Emacs Manual}, in
+the main Emacs manual.
+@end iftex
+On these systems, the @file{~@var{user-id}/} construct is supported
+only for the current user, i.e., only if @var{user-id} is the current
+user's login name.
+
+@vindex insert-default-directory
+ To prevent Emacs from inserting the default directory when reading
+file names, change the variable @code{insert-default-directory} to
+@code{nil}. In that case, the minibuffer starts out empty.
+Nonetheless, relative file name arguments are still interpreted based
+on the same default directory.