diff --git a/asdf.lisp b/asdf.lisp
index ad7094c322d6fa079392d8ceb37fc360e01aec14..51bb36f7c3a6f2845c3f65adcdde21e3b8e7a52f 100644
--- a/asdf.lisp
+++ b/asdf.lisp
@@ -248,7 +248,6 @@
 
             #:asdf-version
 
-            ;; conditions
             #:operation-error #:compile-failed #:compile-warned #:compile-error
             #:error-name
             #:error-pathname
@@ -261,7 +260,6 @@
             #:missing-dependency-of-version
             #:circular-dependency        ; errors
             #:duplicate-names
-            #:deprecated-system-warning
 
             #:try-recompiling
             #:retry
@@ -932,17 +930,6 @@ with given pathname and if it exists return its truename."
 (define-condition compile-failed (compile-error) ())
 (define-condition compile-warned (compile-error) ())
 
-(define-condition deprecated-system-warning (warning)
-  ((system
-    :initarg :system
-    :reader deprecated-system))
-  (:report (lambda (c s)
-             (with-slots (system) c
-                 (format s "~@<System ~a has been deprecated: ~a~@:>"
-                         (component-name system)
-                         (system-deprecated system))))))
-  
-
 (defclass component ()
   ((name :accessor component-name :initarg :name :documentation
          "Component name: designator for a string composed of portable pathname characters")
@@ -1078,23 +1065,16 @@ with given pathname and if it exists return its truename."
   new-value)
 
 (defclass system (module)
-  (;; metadata slots
-   (description :accessor system-description :initarg :description)
+  ((description :accessor system-description :initarg :description)
    (long-description
     :accessor system-long-description :initarg :long-description)
    (author :accessor system-author :initarg :author)
    (maintainer :accessor system-maintainer :initarg :maintainer)
    (licence :accessor system-licence :initarg :licence
             :accessor system-license :initarg :license)
-   (deprecated :reader system-deprecated :initarg :deprecated
-               :type (or string null))
-   ;; end of metadata slots
    (source-file :reader system-source-file :initarg :source-file
                 :writer %set-system-source-file)
-   (defsystem-depends-on :reader system-defsystem-depends-on :initarg :defsystem-depends-on))
-  ;; FIXME -- I am not sure whether it's more appropriate to have a default-intarg here, or
-  ;; an initform.  Reviewer eyeballs welcomed. [2010/10/22:rpg]
-  (:default-initargs :deprecated nil))
+   (defsystem-depends-on :reader system-defsystem-depends-on :initarg :defsystem-depends-on)))
 
 ;;;; -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;;;; version-satisfies
@@ -2079,8 +2059,6 @@ recursive calls to traverse.")
          (system (if (typep system 'component) system (find-system system))))
     (unless (version-satisfies system version)
       (error 'missing-component-of-version :requires system :version version))
-    (when (system-deprecated system)
-      (warn 'deprecated-system-warning :system system))
     (let ((steps (traverse op system)))
       (with-compilation-unit ()
         (loop :for (op . component) :in steps :do
@@ -3335,7 +3313,6 @@ with a different configuration, so the configuration would be re-read then."
   (validate-configuration-form
    form :source-registry 'validate-source-registry-directive "a source registry"))
 
-
 (defun* validate-source-registry-file (file)
   (validate-configuration-file
    file 'validate-source-registry-form "a source registry"))
diff --git a/doc/asdf.texinfo b/doc/asdf.texinfo
index f4b6a894f08a9d8d05e54c2f599a8dcfe25024ee..e1d648f7891161e9496ac40d74b486794147571f 100644
--- a/doc/asdf.texinfo
+++ b/doc/asdf.texinfo
@@ -803,17 +803,9 @@ For more details on what these methods do, @pxref{Operations} in
 system-definition := ( defsystem system-designator @var{system-option}* )
 
 system-option := :defsystem-depends-on system-list
-                 | metadata
                  | module-option
                  | option
 
-metadata := :description string
-            | :long-description string
-            | :author string
-            | :maintainer string
-            | :license string
-            | :deprecated string
-
 module-option := :components component-list
                  | :serial [ t | nil ]
                  | :if-component-dep-fails component-dep-fail-option                 
@@ -827,7 +819,6 @@ option :=
         | :operation-done-p method-form
         | :depends-on ( @var{dependency-def}* )
         | :in-order-to ( @var{dependency}+ )
-        | :version version-specifier
 
 
 system-list := ( @var{simple-component-name}* )
@@ -859,8 +850,6 @@ method-form := (operation-name qual lambda-list @&rest body)
 qual := method qualifier
 
 component-dep-fail-option := :fail | :try-next | :ignore
-
-version-string := " @var{digit}+ @{ . @var{digit}+ @} "
 @end example
 
 
diff --git a/test/deprecated.asd b/test/deprecated.asd
deleted file mode 100644
index 7846919f9395ca76bfb8adb33ca9fccc00076903..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/test/deprecated.asd
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-;;; -*- Lisp -*-
-(asdf:defsystem deprecated
-  :deprecated "This system is no longer worth the bits it's written on!"
-  :components ((:file "file2" :in-order-to ((compile-op (load-op "file1"))))
-               (:file "file1")))
-
-#|
-1) from clean, check that all fasl files build and that some function
-   defined in the second file is present
-
-2) delete the second fasl file, and build again.  do test 1 again and
-   also check the date on file1.fasl
-|#
diff --git a/test/test-deprecation.script b/test/test-deprecation.script
deleted file mode 100644
index 2858d724e6c1d4b68b8af6bd2fe5031f2ac1d210..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/test/test-deprecation.script
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-;;; -*- Lisp -*-
-
-(load "script-support")
-(load-asdf)
-
-(quit-on-error
- (setf asdf:*central-registry* '(*default-pathname-defaults*))
- (assert (handler-case
-             (progn
-               (asdf:load-system 'deprecated :force t)
-               nil
-               )
-           (asdf:deprecated-system-warning () t)))
- (assert (handler-case
-             (progn
-               (asdf:load-system 'test1 :force t)
-               t
-               )
-           (asdf:deprecated-system-warning () nil))))