Is there an official list archive somewhere?  I'd like to read through the 
old messages and get up to speed on things.

 Uh... by "archive" I mean the old style "a file containing messages in mbox 
or maildir format", not the new style "a web portal into a mail database."   

 Not trying to be picky, but when it's most convenient for me to read it, I'll 
be at a secure site with no internet access.