The 2nd quote, about connecting laptop to controller in order to do "geeky stuff" I would rather not comment on. Don't feel like arguing or explaining things to somebody who isn't there. I never used a laptop to check or adjust anything on my controller either, the control panel does it all, including Vabs, Tabs, Iabs and few dozen other parameters.
It isn't necessary to connect to laptop but I found it fairly educational to hook up and enlist the Morningstar "Real Time" view in the MS software. If you do it under different light conditions, it is revealing. It will show exactly how much current and at what voltage your modules are operating at.