debian distro and helix gnome

[Andrew Atkinson <andrew brighton-rock freeserve co uk>]

Hi

I've been happily using gnome on my modified RH5.2 system for quite a
while now but I'm looking to upgrade to a new distro and would like to try
debian.

I was happy to see that helix have packaged gnome for debian (gnome is
so stable now I don't feel I need to chase the latest but rather wait
for binary updates from helix).

However, if I want to purchase debian on CD (say from
www.linuxemporium.co.uk) I find I can buy 2.1 with a note to say that
2.2 is iminent _but_ helix has packaged gnome for 2.3.

Can anyone explain this? Can I get hold of 2.3 on CD? Would I want it if
it's unstable? Why has helix not packaged for 2.1 or 2.2? Can I run the
helix packages on 2.1 or 2.2? 

Many thanks in advance
-Andrew