* doc/tar.texi (Option Summary, absolute): Document -P better,

[chaz/tar] / doc / tar.texi

diff --git a/doc/tar.texi b/doc/tar.texi
index 48e8c3cc002a57f0f5a5e9893f7b578088febc75..cf305926d842518614c00892046a88d99951f0e7 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/tar.texi
+++ b/doc/tar.texi
@@ -37,20 +37,16 @@ This manual is for @acronym{GNU} @command{tar} (version
 from archives.
 
 Copyright @copyright{} 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001,
-2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Free Software
+Foundation, Inc.
 
 @quotation
 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
-Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
-and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.  A copy of the license
-is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
-License''.
-
-(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to
-copy and modify this GNU manual.  Buying copies from the FSF
-supports it in developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
+Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
+A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free
+Documentation License''.
 @end quotation
 @end copying
 
@@ -2362,8 +2358,9 @@ exist in the archive. @xref{update}.
 @itemx -P
 
 Normally when creating an archive, @command{tar} strips an initial
-@samp{/} from member names.  This option disables that behavior.
-@xref{absolute}.
+@samp{/} from member names, and when extracting from an archive @command{tar}
+treats names specially if they have initial @samp{/} or internal
+@samp{..}.  This option disables that behavior.  @xref{absolute}.
 
 @opsummary{after-date}
 @item --after-date
@@ -3572,8 +3569,8 @@ successfully.  For example, @w{@samp{tar --version}} might print:
 
 @smallexample
 tar (GNU tar) @value{VERSION}
-Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
 This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
 There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
@@ -8535,6 +8532,10 @@ is not, generally speaking, the same as the one you'd get running
 scripts for comparing both outputs.  @xref{listing member and file names},
 for the information on how to handle this case.}.
 
+Symbolic links containing @file{..} or leading @samp{/} can also cause
+problems when extracting, so @command{tar} normally extracts them last;
+it may create empty files as placeholders during extraction.
+
 If you use the @option{--absolute-names} (@option{-P}) option,
 @command{tar} will do none of these transformations.
 
@@ -8558,7 +8559,7 @@ to transfer files between systems.}
 @table @option
 @item --absolute-names
 Preserves full file names (including superior directory names) when
-archiving files.  Preserves leading slash when extracting files.
+archiving and extracting files.
 
 @end table