I completely agree with you
I have always been a tech. When I first started my career I was keen to use all the jargon, maybe it was arrogance or naivety, or maybe a little bit of both. My first role was programmer, but also included training and support. The support was for staff using the applications we'd written, more often than not the support was for someone who hadn't had any training and had never used a computer before (I am talking early 90's now).
We had no remote support, so the fixes had to be done by talking the user through copying and editing files, very difficult in DOS, especially when you have to explain what a space key looks like. And yes, I have been in the "press any key" situation.
I very quickly learnt to "dumb-down" my talk (I hate that phrase but it's the only one that fits) to make myself understood. And now, when I have to explain anything I try to imagine how I'd explain it to my mother. My mother is what I'd call a fairly competent user, she knows stuff, but doesn't realise she does.
So if I aim at that level, it's not patronising to a very competent user, nor is there too much jargon for a novice. But everything has to be flexible, it depends on the target audience.
