which version? old user coming back....

I use to use postgres quite a bit but have been working on a project for a
couple years that does not use it. I have finally convinced them to make
the switch after our current database hsqldb couldn't keep up with the
task.

So, for this project I will need postgres working on a debian server
(2.4.x), a centos 4 (2.6x) server and windows boxes for development.
Since I last used postgres it appears that it has become windows friendly.
Hurray at least for the developers. I have looked and it appears that
both the apt(debian) and yum (centos) repositories are living in the past
with version 7.5x. Clearly the windows users will want to use 8+. So
what do i do?

What do you recommend?

1)Do I run these old versions on my linux servers and the new version 8.1x
for development? If I do this will I have to constantly battle
compatibility issues when going from development to the production
servers? Will it be a big headache? Will I be missing out on major
performance or features?

2)Is there a reliable way to install 8.1x on debian and centos using apt
and yum?

3)Should I just compile from source on the linux boxes? Should I expect
any problems with this even on the old 2.4 kernel? I would rather avoid
this cause I really like letting apt and yum maintain my compatibility
issues?

thanks everyone