diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dc3d82cb4..194c760f8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ NOTES:
 all dependencies.
 * Package managers often contain out-of-date `golang` packages.
   Compilation from source is recommended.
-* go-ipfs depends on cgo. In case you've disabled cgo, you'll need to
-  compile with `CGO_ENABLED=1`
 * If you are interested in development, please install the development
 dependencies as well.
 * **WARNING: older versions of OSX FUSE (for Mac OS X) can cause kernel panics when mounting!**
diff --git a/util/util.go b/util/util.go
index 0351d86f8..36853c44f 100644
--- a/util/util.go
+++ b/util/util.go
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"io"
 	"math/rand"
-	"os/user"
+	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -35,13 +35,7 @@ var ErrNotFound = ds.ErrNotFound
 // TildeExpansion expands a filename, which may begin with a tilde.
 func TildeExpansion(filename string) (string, error) {
 	if strings.HasPrefix(filename, "~/") {
-		usr, err := user.Current()
-		if err != nil {
-			return "", err
-		}
-
-		dir := usr.HomeDir + "/"
-		filename = strings.Replace(filename, "~/", dir, 1)
+		filename = strings.Replace(filename, "~", os.Getenv("HOME"), 1)
 	}
 	return filename, nil
 }