Trevor Smith wrote:
I wonder if any of you knowledgeable folks out there know why compact
fluorescent lamps take time to get up to full brilliance?, in my
kitchen I have a conventional 5" linear fluorescent and it is at full
brilliance as soon as you switch it on.

Basically, the operating temperature of the linear tube - I assume you
mean 5' - is much closer to room temperature.
With CF, they run at 100C or so.
In order to get the optimum pressure of mercury when running, the 'off'
pressure is rather lower.

It's also a compromise between electrode life and turn-on speed.
If it takes 1-2 s to start, then it allows the electrodes to warm up
before the tube is started.

This causes less wear of the electrodes and blackening at the ends than
'instant on'.
(this is completely seperate from the tubes taking time to warm up once
on)