Re: @node in TeX ignored if not associated with a sectioning command

[Karl Berry]

    In my opinion, @node should be treated similarly with an @anchor, so a
    lone mode should not be problematic.

Well, it could be done (though it's not exactly trivial), but I'm not
sure I agree.  @anchor was invented precisely to mark an arbitary
location that can be referred to.  I don't see particular usefulness in
doing the same with @node.  Especially since it has never worked and no
one has ever asked for it.  Am I missing something?

As for the manual, I don't think it explicitly addressed this question.
I rewrote the paragraph at the end of the "node" node (not committed
yet):

  @TeX{} uses @code{@@node} names and chapter-structuring names in
  combination in the output for cross references.  For this reason, you
  must write @code{@@node} lines in a Texinfo file that you intend to
  format for printing, even if you do not intend to format it for Info;
  and conversely, you must include a chapter-structuring command after a
  node for it to be a valid cross-reference target.  You can use
  @code{@@anchor} (@pxref{anchor,, @code{@@anchor}}) to make
  cross-references to an arbitrary position in a document.  (Cross
  references, such as the one at the end of this sentence, are made with
  @code{@@xref} and related commands; see @ref{Cross References}.)

It's too complicated, but I think that's the information we want to
convey.

I'd suggest having makeinfo warn when it encounters a reference to a
node without a chapter-structuring command, but I guess that would
effectively disallow documents with only nodes, which doesn't seem like
a good idea.

Wdyt?

Thanks,
Karl