package bigrat;
require "bigint.pl";
-
-# Arbitrary size rational math package
#
+# This library is no longer being maintained, and is included for backward
+# compatibility with Perl 4 programs which may require it.
+# This legacy library is deprecated and will be removed in a future
+# release of perl.
+#
+# In particular, this should not be used as an example of modern Perl
+# programming techniques.
+#
+# Arbitrary size rational math package
+
+warn( "The 'bigrat.pl' legacy library is deprecated and will be"
+ . " removed in the next major release of perl. Please use the"
+ . " bigrat module instead." );
+
# by Mark Biggar
#
# Input values to these routines consist of strings of the form