I have been told that 1.8 is buggy and that I should use 1.7.10 and skip to 1.9, but others say that 1.8 will be stable enough and that it will replace 1.7.10 as the staple modding version for a long time. In all honesty, I haven't been listening to any Minecraft/Forge related news at all since I just returned from a hiatus.

1.8.8 is somehow cursed. You have less usability, and if you need help on something with 1.8.8, no one will help you. But if it's 1.7.10 theyll help you till the sun stops shining. Take it from my terrible personal experiences.

You should always develop for the latest version you can.

Assholes who say otherwise are morons who are lazy and don't want to actually think for themselves and regurgitate things they heard from others.

JelloMOO is a prime example.

 

So if you want any support here, make sure you're working on the current version.