Sorry that I can't give you any advice on the CS2, but I use 7 and I think it is great. I had another version before that, I am guessing it was 6, and this one has some very useful tools that the other did not.
Can I ask a question too... what is meant by a
publishing program? I've worked with printers and have used Photoshop alone, or I have used Corel Draw alone. What would a publishing program do that Photoshop can't?