@cindex startup (init file)
When Emacs is started, it normally loads a Lisp program from the
-file @file{.emacs} or @file{.emacs.el} in your home directory. We
-call this file your @dfn{init file} because it specifies how to
+file @file{.emacs} or @file{.emacs.el} in your home directory
+(see @ref{General Variables, HOME} if you don't know where that is).
+We call this file your @dfn{init file} because it specifies how to
initialize Emacs for you. You can use the command line switch
@samp{-q} to prevent loading your init file, and @samp{-u} (or
@samp{--user}) to specify a different user's init file (@pxref{Initial
@node Find Init
@subsection How Emacs Finds Your Init File
- Normally Emacs uses the environment variable @env{HOME} to find
-@file{.emacs}; that's what @samp{~} means in a file name. If
-@file{.emacs} is not found inside @file{~/} (nor @file{.emacs.el}),
-Emacs looks for @file{~/.emacs.d/init.el} (which, like
-@file{~/.emacs.el}, can be byte-compiled).
+ Normally Emacs uses the environment variable @env{HOME}
+(@pxref{General Variables, HOME}) to find @file{.emacs}; that's what
+@samp{~} means in a file name. If @file{.emacs} is not found inside
+@file{~/} (nor @file{.emacs.el}), Emacs looks for
+@file{~/.emacs.d/init.el} (which, like @file{~/.emacs.el}, can be
+byte-compiled).
However, if you run Emacs from a shell started by @code{su}, Emacs
tries to find your own @file{.emacs}, not that of the user you are