New windows don't open in the current working directory

I'll file an upstream bug after lunch, can't target to distro versions though (or assign you, Dustin).

Can't link the bug, but here it is: https://sourceforge.net/p/tmux/tickets/145/

Excerpt from CHANGES file (https://sourceforge.net/p/tmux/tmux-code/ci/1.9/tree/CHANGES):

* 'default-path' has been removed. The new-window command accepts '-c' to
  cater for this. The previous value of "." can be replaced with: 'neww -c
  $PWD', the previous value of '' which meant current path of the pane can
  be specified as: 'neww -c "#{pane_current_path}"'

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

My experience with this, and forgive me if it's not related, is that -c '~/dir' isn't expainding the tilde. To fix this, I've had to replace the tilde with the actual homedir of my user.

So the attached patch fixes this in Byobu with tmux 1.9, however, this patch is not compatible with tmux 1.8, so it would break users of PPA users of Byobu running on Trusty, for example.

This bug was fixed in the package byobu - 5.92-0ubuntu1

---------------
byobu (5.92-0ubuntu1) vivid; urgency=medium

  * usr/bin/byobu-launcher-install.in: LP: #1396959
    - silence warnings if byobu-launch doesn't exist (e.g., uninstalled it)
  * usr/bin/byobu-config.in: LP: #1383669
    - revert commit to LP: #1316050, which hardcoded LANG=C
    - this should fix rendering of Japanese characters in the menu
  * usr/share/byobu/keybindings/f-keys.tmux: LP: #1350813
    - handle tmux 1.9's default path changes, per:
      https://sourceforge.net/p/tmux/tmux-code/ci/1.9/tree/CHANGES
 -- Dustin Kirkland <email address hidden> Sat, 07 Mar 2015 18:59:37 -0500

This change breaks the F2 functionality in Ubuntu 12.04
(This one: http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kirkland/byobu/trunk/revision/2405)

I didn't see comment #6...
So is there a solution for 12.04 users who use the PPA version?