I used to have a desktop keyboard with the nipple in the traditional middle of the keyboard configuration so your fingers could stay on the home row but something about it was off maybe the acceleration or something I'm sure I could've fixed it in software if I were smarter but it never just worked like the Thinkpad ones
I am not a programmer but your line of argument begged the question, "Are more options better, more efficient/effective, etc. or otherwise desirable?" Sure, if the only criterion you are trying to fulfill is "have as many options and different ways to complete the task at hand as possible," you are correct that you can emulate a CLI within a GUI so you can accomplish a task both by clicking or typing instead of just typing.
However the parent you are responding to stated that having these additional choices (what he terms as "noise") is clearly not effective for him so he disagrees with your original premise. Apparently for them "less is more" which is certainly understandable.
could be referring to "mad men" era secretaries as ibm era computers were just better fancier word processors/typewriters
edit: or maybe like IT helpdesk staff who are like janitors (i.e. they don't see a difference between calling environmental services for a clogged toilet vs IT for a bricked computer)
forgot there were sharks thought it was just the fish with the spindly legs