Is it lost to posterity now?
Not an easy task apparently, but being worked on.
One can't avoid feeling somewhat shocked and disappointed that this incredible resource has been culled from the interwebs.
Surely the custodians must owe a debt of care to all those who contributed to the massive database of knowledge contained in those many years of messages. Not to mention all those current owners that stand to benefit.
At least make the messages available as a searchable or downloadable raw text?
I'd like to offer whatever help I can (software engineer of 20+ years).