really dumb flash/PW question

i was just playing around w/ my apollo mega softbox the other day, and one of the main drawbacks is that to adjust the power on the flash, you have to take off the front white panel and adjust from the flash head menu (there's no way to do this from the back of the camera, correct?).

One thing I noticed when I was doing the tests is that the flash (580exII if that matters) was in ETTL and not manual. however, it was still firing. since PW's don't transmit ETTL info, was the flash going off at full power?

Yes. Most likely.

Time to sell the PW/580 and get a 600 and an STE3. Does not Phottix Odin (another option) able to adjust the flash? Well back to Canon RT. It is very convenient system to use regarding your adjustment issue.

Get a pair of YN622Cs

i really have no idea what the last two posts are trying to say.

The OP cannot adjust the flash output unless it is done physically which requires the removal of the white front panel to access the flash LCD screen and buttons. The last two posts are suggesting to purchase a trigger system that will allow the OP to adjust flash power without removing the white front panel.

What camera body are you shooting?

Gear list shows this

A590 IS
5D mkII w/ BG-E6 grip
5D mkIII w/ BG-E11 grip
5D mkIII

The 5D's in the list have camera menuing control for the 580EXII using the YN622Cs