You’re confusing yourself, here, but it’s understandable. I’ve spent the last 25 years working on or around these cars, and I had to start somewhere, too. I get it.

With that said...

A shift linkage is not the same as the clutch operation type. I know the Honda community makes a big deal about cable versus hydraulic clutch actuation transmission, but that’s not what he’s refereeing to.

Typically, on older Hondas, if a shifter pops out, it’s due to the linkage, the metal rod that connects the shifter to the transmission. Rather, the linkage bushings rot out and cause shifter wobble. This is independent of the clutch system. Starting, I believe, with the Prelude, there was no metal rod linkage, and instead Honda moved to a set of cables that connected the shifter to the transmission. It allowed them to move the shifter around the cabin a little easier (picture the EP3 shifter on the dash). The OP’s mechanic was telling him that the linkage was bad, but this Honda doesn’t have a true metal rod linkage, it has cables to connect to the transmission.