Once upon a time, I could have sworn that find-file completion had a feature whereby if the first character you typed was a / or a ~, the entire default directory was erased and replaced with the / or ~. This was terribly convenient.
Right now, if you want to open an absolute file name (or one relative to your home directory), you have to hit C-a C-k after you type C-x C-f and before you type / or ~. Annoying.
Did I dream this feature? Did it go away? How can I make find-file behave this way again?
Thanks,
Eric