First posted: Mon, Jun 18, 07
Halogen is being replaced with xenon
Xenon is cooler than halogen, slightly warmer color temperature, longer life than halogen, dimmable with magnetic or electronic dimmers depending on power supply
fluorescent is cooler and won’t warm up cabinet contents as much, longest life with up to 20,000 hours, energy efficient, but not possible or expensive to dim with some fixtures. With some fixtures there are different color temperatures available at high color rendering index.
fluorescent being a linear light source usually provides a more even light. Incandescents create bright spots that can often be seen in the reflections from polished surfaces. Some fixture manufacturers offer sand blasted glass lenses to help with this.
Hopefully others will add to this. There is a lot involved in making this choice.