A quote from the article: "The next big [issue] is dimming. Many fluorescents that are available do not dim well. Incandescent lamps dim very nicely. They dim a

A quote from the article: "The next big [issue] is dimming. Many fluorescents that are available do not dim well. Incandescent lamps dim very nicely. They dim all the way from 100 percent light all the way to 0 percent light. They do it very smoothly and very predictably. Consumers are used to that kind of smooth dimming. Typically when you dim a compact fluorescent it can flicker, it can buzz, it can create all kinds of what I call “unintended consequences” that disturb the consumer. So the consumer is left with a less-than-satisfied level with this kind of technology." That's really annoying and surprising to hear. I designed dimmable flourescent power sources for the Space Shuttle in the early 1970s, those dimmers worked very well, so it's not as though the technology doesn't exist. This may not matter very much, because it seems high-efficiency LED-based lights will likely replace compact flourescents before the latter become truly acceptable replacements for incandescents. The linked article doesn't mention this, even though the change has already begun.