Note: For some reason, you need a C compiler to run Makefile.pl and some other stuff
Just a minor correction to that. You don't need a C compiler to run Makefile.PL. (Admittedly, some Makefile.PL's will check that you have a working C compiler and terminate if it can't be found.) But you will need a C compiler to perform any compilations that may be needed during the 'make' phase of the build process.