At one time the lists were available in mbox format, as I recall.

I don't know when or why they were taken offline.  You used to be
able to ftp them.

As far as the interface, I think that it's a matter of taste.  The
mail-index site is actually very usable, while the one you cite
at http://ely.ath.cx/~piranha/mlforum/usagi-users/dynamic/ is
really unusable, IMHO.

Generally, I like mail-index's similarity to email software.
However, it *is* just a matter of opinion.  (^&

Good luck with your alternate setup.

-- 
  "I probably don't know what I'm talking about."  http://www.olib.org/~rkr/