diff --git a/src/atom.coffee b/src/atom.coffee
index 0b6d3896f..8aadbbe5b 100644
--- a/src/atom.coffee
+++ b/src/atom.coffee
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ remote = require 'remote'
 shell = require 'shell'
 crypto = require 'crypto'
 path = require 'path'
+os = require 'os'
 dialog = remote.require 'dialog'
 app = remote.require 'app'
 {Document} = require 'telepath'
@@ -229,7 +230,10 @@ class Atom
     @getCurrentWindow().isFullScreen()
 
   getHomeDirPath: ->
-    app.getHomeDir()
+    process.env[if process.platform is 'win32' then 'USERPROFILE' else 'HOME']
+
+  getTempDirPath: ->
+    if process.platform is 'win32' then os.tmpdir() else '/tmp'
 
   # Public: Get the directory path to Atom's configuration area.
   getConfigDirPath: ->
diff --git a/src/coffee-cache.coffee b/src/coffee-cache.coffee
index 25c6a7472..ecf66dc9e 100644
--- a/src/coffee-cache.coffee
+++ b/src/coffee-cache.coffee
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ CoffeeScript = require 'coffee-script'
 CSON = require 'season'
 mkdir = require('mkdirp').sync
 
-cacheDir = '/tmp/atom-compile-cache'
+cacheDir = path.join(atom.getTempDirPath(), 'atom-compile-cache')
 coffeeCacheDir = path.join(cacheDir, 'coffee')
 CSON.setCacheDir(path.join(cacheDir, 'cson'))
 
diff --git a/src/less-compile-cache.coffee b/src/less-compile-cache.coffee
index 8dfafa27e..98c7d45fa 100644
--- a/src/less-compile-cache.coffee
+++ b/src/less-compile-cache.coffee
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ module.exports =
 class LessCompileCache
   Subscriber.includeInto(this)
 
-  @cacheDir: '/tmp/atom-compile-cache/less'
+  @cacheDir: path.join(atom.getTempDirPath(), 'atom-compile-cache', 'less')
 
   constructor: ->
     @cache = new LessCache