I've helped some older people and found the same. The command line gives some users more confidence. Hearing that "the computer does exactly what you tell it to", but "it's dumb, so you have to tell it very precisely" is more empowering than being expected to click around and figure out how things work.
That reminds me of the speech the head of the computer science department gave at the start of my course.
“The best thing about computers is they do exactly what you tell them to do. The worst thing about computers is they do exactly what you tell them to do.”
I feel like the point you’re making has never been less true. Dialog boxes with “not yet” rather that “no” are ever more popular. I don’t think that the modern UX designer has much respect for me or my intentions.
