(In the US), right when I was out of college, an entrepreneur tried to hire me as a consultant to write software for a device they wanted to sell.

I started reading the contract they sent me, and it didn't make sense. It stipulated that I carry liability insurance, which doesn't make any sense when writing software.

I decided to Google a phrase or two out of the contract, and I found nolo's ("No Lawyer's") template contract for hiring a contractor to do work on a home.

I decided the guy wasn't savvy enough to work for and thus I walked away.

FWIW professional liability insurance absolutely can make sense, even be necessary when writing software, depending on the nature of the contract and your overall responsibilities.

Nolo is a part of the Latin legal term "Nolo Contendre" ie, "I do not wish to contend". I would recommend you seek an attorney's help when reviewing any contract, even if it was a templatized one to avoid such linguistic mistakes in the future.