Definitely not. You 100% need a computer to program the Harmony remotes. You cannot do anything with them all by themselves, except for the new Harmony Touch, which allows for some setup right on the remote itself, but you still need a computer to access the Harmony database of codes.
So much for living in the "post PC world", eh?
With Logitech now selling off the Harmony brand name, I'm hopeful that a new owner will actually do something to advance the Harmony brand. Logitech has let it flounder for years now, despite STILL having the largest and most complete database of codes, and I'm assuming a patent on the "Activities" method of grouping macros and button layouts - since that remains the best scheme for controlling multiple devices, and yet other remote makers have failed to copy it!
The Harmony Remotes, even with their ancient setup software, janky interface for setup, and total lack of two-way communication, somehow are still the best of a pretty sad situation in many ways. It's amazing, really, that other remotes are still stuck in the Pronto design era, with switching between devices and manually configuring macros. I HATE the way downloadable tablet/smartphone remote apps are being used. Having to switch between apps to control different devices is ridiculous! So for all their shortcomings - and there are many - somehow, the Harmony Remotes are still the only ones to get it right, by having hard buttons that you do not have to look at to use or "wake" the device with a button push, or worse, launch an app to use, and by using Activities that reconfigure the button commands based on what you are DOING, rather than what you are controlling individually, and having the macros automatically programmed based on those Activities.
Furthermore, it's an utter pain in the rear to use, but at least the Harmony software does allow you to "deep dive" into the device and truly control almost everything.
@Cliff_is if you're finding some of the button presses "sluggish", you can change that. Every command has an associated delay. The default for most of them is 250ms. You can change that manually and decrease the delay between button presses.
Anywho, remotes NEED to get better. What I really want is to use my tablet and my smartphone. I want to be able to control my system from anywhere with an internet connection. I want to be able to control my entire system all at once from within ONE app! AND I want a hard-button companion that I can use when I'm physically sitting in my theatre with no desire to turn on a tablet or smartphone screen! So if someone can buy the Harmony brand from Logitech, perhaps they can take that awesome database of codes, expand it even further, use whatever patents Harmony must have, and create a REAL "universal remote" app for tablets and smartphones that also has a hard-button companion! I want IR to die. I want two-way communication between remotes and devices using IP so that my remote app works wherever there is internet access. Oh, and I want that same app to allow for security system and audio/video transmission from security cameras as well! I want to be able to control my entire home from anywhere - home automation, security systems, home theatre - ALL of it. And it's entirely possible. Someone just needs to put the work in. And having the Harmony name and resources would be the fastest way to get there, IMO.