[Bug-tar] handle symlinks when extracting

[Guenter]

Hi all,
please forgive if this topic was already discussed on this list in the 
past, but I searched and couldnt find.

I would like to suggest a tar option similar to:
-h, --dereference
      follow symlinks; archive and dump the files they point to

but for extracting archives. Such an option would be really helpful 
especially on systems where no symlinks work since usually you dont have 
control over the tar file you get (f.e. a source tarball of a project), 
so you would have to repack the tarball on another system with -h in 
order to properly get all files in place when extracting on the 
non-symlink-aware system.
Of course its clear that such can only work with files which are 
included in this same tarball but in other folders; symlinks which point 
outside the tarball should be ignored then.

I really wonder that such an option didnt yet make it into tar although 
while searching I found a couple of hits where others aked for same.

Günter.