Some take dim view of new bulbs

Last weekend, in an effort to "green" my apartment, I installed some new compact fluorescent bulbs.
CFL spirals cost slightly more than regular bulbs but they use about one-third of the energy standard incandescent bulbs do to provide the same amount of light. They also last up to 10 times longer.
The federal government has plans to phase out the use of old, inefficient incandescent bulbs by 2012, as a way to save energy and combat greenhouse gas emissions and Wal-mart aims to sell 100 million of them in the next year.
But how do they compare to regular bulbs?
They provide the same amount of light and fit into regular light sockets, but since they are slightly longer than regular bulbs, I found that some of my light fixtures won't fit over them.
I also found a slight hum when the lights are on and they seem to flicker and don't really work well with the dimmers with which most of my lights are fitted.
While I do enjoy the minimalist-jail-cell-chic look I now have going in my room with my new bulbs, I suspect not everyone would appreciate it.
A quick look online found a lot of people have the same complaint. A blogger name Seth Godin asked for people to write to him explaining why they love CFLs over regular bulbs.
The blog noted disadvantages, but I also found some benefits CFLs have over regular bulbs, such as the fact you can grab a CFL with your bare hand and not get burned as they don't get hot. This means there is less wasted energy and the bulbs are more kid-friendly because it's harder to set your home on fire with them.
While I'm not suggesting we abandon CFL's, I do think manufacturers should warn consumers the new bulbs aren't exactly the same size and may not work with dimmers. Maybe then I could have purchased LED lights or some other equally efficient light source.
While I'm not adverse to change, I do think if we want consumers to make greener choices, we need to give people options that are commensurate with what we already have.