@itemize @asis is not well supported

[Bruno Haible]

@itemize @asis
seems to work in HTML and info mode only, not in TeX mode.


How to reproduce (with texinfo-7.1):

$ git clone git://git.savannah.gnu.org/gnulib.git
$ cd gnulib
$ git checkout f52d4a7b78be73060cf01640b40ebc88193c12e8
$ cd doc
$ make pdf
...
/tmp/gnulib/doc/gnulib-tool.texi:472: Argument of @asis has an extra }.
<inserted text> 
                @par 
<to be read again> 
                   }
@doitemize ...1}@setbox 0 = @hbox {@itemcontents }
                                                  @ifx @itemcontents @empty ...
l.472 @itemize @asis
                    
? 
/tmp/gnulib/doc/gnulib-tool.texi:472: Emergency stop.
<inserted text> 
                @par 
<to be read again> 
                   }
@doitemize ...1}@setbox 0 = @hbox {@itemcontents }
                                                  @ifx @itemcontents @empty ...
l.472 @itemize @asis
                    
/tmp/gnulib/doc/gnulib-tool.texi:472:  ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF 
file produced!
Transcript written on gnulib.log.
/arch/x86_64-linux-gnu/gnu-inst-texinfo/7.1/bin/texi2dvi: pdfetex exited with 
bad status, quitting.
make: *** [Makefile:34: gnulib.pdf] Error 1


Here are four good reasons for supporting @itemize @asis:

  * @table @asis is supported, see [1]
      "You may use the @asis command as an argument to @table.
       @asis is a command that does nothing: ..."

  * In HTML and info modes, 'makeinfo' does not produce an error for
    @itemize @asis.

  * Several packages use @itemize @asis in their documentation: [2]

  * The workaround, which is to use @w{} instead of @asis, is hard to find [3].

Bruno

[1] 
https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/html_node/_0040table.html
[2] https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=%40itemize+%40asis&literal=1
[3] 
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=emacs.git;a=commitdiff;h=49ffdce87c1a2502af6f6459d1ecf10fe0104530