That may be true. LED tech is coming along nicely, but the holy grail still hasn’t emerged.
The CFL idea would be great if they truly lasted as long as they were supposed to. I go through one about once a year, and I think it’s due to turning them on and off so much. After all, in a traditional office application, (where fluorescents made their mark) they only get flipped twice a day.
But technology is always advancing, and they’ll improve over time too. We’re about to bring a fixture to market that includes a fire rating, UL listing, easy retrofit to existing ceiling cans, and CFL technology that reduces energy consumption by about 75% over halogen- plus a reasonable cost. We’re watching LEDs closely too.
What I’d really like to see is a CFL that would fit into the “school house” globe fixture that all of my ceiling fans use. The ones currently available are all just a bit too long. If I could find them, my conversion to CFL would be complete. I like saving money on my electric bill.
Your diagnosis is correct, it's due to frequent on-off action. Should not switch them too often, it reduces longevity and actually increases the amount of energy used. Same with monitors and TVs - the rule of thumb is, if you are going to use them within a couple of hours, don't turn them off.
I have yet to replace one of my CFLs with the spares, and I use them a lot but "constantly". They are also cool to the touch no matter how long they are on and dissipate far less heat than incandescents, in addition to saving energy. Depending on price paid and amount of daily usage, they should pay for themselves within a year or two, at the most.
Here is a good writeup on CFLs and mercury in Popular Mechanics :
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs and Mercury: Reality Check