NO! Don't use 2.3! Well, you can, but 2.5 is much improved.
http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=51674
At the bottom of JSCones' post he has a direct link to 2.5. Also, the Combined Ship Pack, which is an add-on that lets you see several different paint schemes on the same merchants, at the same time. This was included in earlier versions, but is separate now because it's so big.